Spider-Man: The Great Responsibility
by HyperDragon35
Summary: Peter Parker's time as the web-slinger changes dramatically when a villain starts to enter his personal world. Thrown into a crazy villainous plot, Peter has to take action to the consequences of being a hero. This is my interpretation of the Spider-Man universe and its characters. All rights are reserved to Marvel.
1. A New Villain in Town

SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY

 _9:50 pm_ _Queens NY…_

It was a quiet night for burglars and crooks to do their job, for many people it was believed Manhattan was the heart of New York that was under siege from the criminal underworld. Queens on the other hand felt tame with the number of crimes that happen once in a while. For a crime fighter like 18 year old Peter Parker himself, the job was simple and sweet. No one really had to cause trouble.

Peter perched on the side of a building with a half-moon shining behind him; his homemade red suit with a black spider emblem accompanied by some blue undergarments glistened in the moonlight. The homemade adjustable eye lens spied on four masked burglars attempting to open a warehouse door.

"Mr. Cavallaro is expecting $100 million in that house. If this heist goes well, we save ourselves from his troubles." One of the burglars explained.

"Why do I feel like that money is going to be useless? All he's gonna do is hire more guns for his little party." Another burglar complained.

"Actually I think he's paying more of his medical bills. The poor guy is paying so much for that lump on his head." Another burglar said.

Meanwhile Peter jumped down quietly without notice and hid behind the car they had parked. He listened to more of the conversation that is happening among the criminals he is tailing. "He's getting more paranoid. I heard that he has a new set of eyes watching our every move. We have to start stashing this wealth ourselves. It can't only be his life that matters." As the door security lock is being tampered with.

At first, Peter wanted to do a silent takedown until he couldn't resist the urge to make himself known. "Uh... Excuse me, gentlemen. I can't help but notice that ever since I'm around, it's super tough to make an honest living out of stealing."

The burglars at first expected to be intimidated only to find quip annoying. "Get out of here, Spider-Boy. We have to do this for a living." One of the burglars said.

"Guys, if you're jobless; homeless or-" Before Peter could finish his line, his phone suddenly rang in his pocket. "Uh…Could you let me do this first?"

The burglar then pulled out a handgun out of his pocket and aimed at Spider-Man. Immediately, Peter's 'Spidey-sense' picked up on the danger and allowed him to move away from the gunfire being shot at him.

Peter then reacted by aiming a web shooter wristband at the burglar's head and shot a sticky ball of web fluid onto his face. The burglar made an "Argh!" sound the moment the web hit his face and tried to remove it only for his hand to get stuck.

Peter then moved swiftly in knocking the burglar out by punching by his jawline before spinning around to shoot a fine line of webbing at the rest. Parker was then able to pick off at least two of the burglars before the last one rushed towards him and pinned him against the wall.

"Okay… You're surprisingly strong…" Peter said gasping for air as the burglar had his arm pressed his neck. "I'm not just small-time thief…" The burglar said in a thick Russian accent as he reached for a knife. Parker then used both of his legs to force his attacker off him before he could stand straight to face him.

"Nice accent… Did you have to watch a movie starring some cartoon villain? Cause it's throwing me off." Peter joked. "It's a natural one…" The burglar explained, "Unless you want me to talk like I'm from around here." The accent then changed from Russian to American.

"OK, I can take you seriously now. Now tell me…Do you have anything special with regards to stealing loot?" Peter asked as he positioned himself in his fighting stance. "I have obligations to fill for my client. I want to start my own business. The business is confidential." The burglar replied.

"I can respect that. I mean privacy is important." Peter agreed. "Yes, just as long as I tear that mask off your head…" The burglar threatened before charging towards Peter. The two then started to trade blows left and right before the burglar threw some powder into Peter's eye lens blinding him.

Peter felt his eyes water a little before returning his attack with a kick to his opponent's face. The burglar then fell back before he tore off his mask to reveal his face. The burglar soon revealed his dirty blonde hair as well as his smudged and wrinkled face. The burglar soon shook his head before getting back to game.

This time around, the burglar drew out his knife and attempted to stab Parker. Despite Peter's super-strength, the knife came very close to his left eye for a brief moment before Peter could force the knife away. Unfortunately, the knife managed to swipe onto his arm ripping cloth on his suit as well as leaving a bloody mark.

The burglar smiled with satisfaction at the injury before he started to talk, "As soon as I have your blood on my knife, the better my designs can get." "Well in that case…" Peter replied as he attempted to use his web shooters. In another unfortunate surprise, Peter then found that his web shooters had been messed up. "What the-?" Peter questioned.

"Those annoying cobwebs of yours are busted now…" The burglar remarked. Peter then started to panic and quickly picked up a handgun from one of the unconscious burglars and aimed. The burglar laughed as he menacingly walked towards Peter, "Do you even know how to use one?" Peter took a couple of steps back from the burglar with the gun in front until he was in front of the car the burglars used.

Peter then ducked down and slid underneath the vehicle where he finally let go of the gun. "What are you even doing?" The burglar asked. "Okay, Pete… Let's show this guy something amazing." Peter said to himself. With all his might, Peter then pushed with all fours lifting the car before standing tall with the vehicle on both of his hands.

The burglar was soon surprised by the immense power and took a step back as soon as he saw Peter lift the car. The next thing he knew was the car being thrown at him which sent him flying against the warehouse wall and smashing it. The burglar was hit hard with the vehicle upside down and landed inside the warehouse flat.

"Well, that's an entrance…." Peter joked before he went on to check the status of his enemy. The burglar groaned as he lay on his back before touching his face. He noticed that part of his face skin had peeled off leaving a slight white mark on his face. This was something Peter noticed as he perched on the upside down vehicle. Before Peter got close, the alarm in the warehouse tripped which forced Peter to leave as soon as possible leaving the burglars to be dealt by the authorities.

"Someone managed to wreck my web shooters today… At least I can still wall crawl and jump fast." Peter said to himself and ran; as he ran he then reached out for his phone. "Crap… Missed a call from Aunt May; Ned has been calling up about homework and I wasted so much time dealing with criminals that there's hardly any time today to work on that physics assignment. Wonderful."

"And it looks like the fastest way to get back to Forest Hills a.k.a. home is approximately a one hour wait from the friendly neighbourhood train station…" Peter sighed.

* * *

 _11:15 pm_ _Parker Residence_

After an unexpected night of crime-fighting, Peter was exhausted and wall-crawled on top of his house to change into his civilian clothing that he packs into a backpack next to the chimney. He then climbed down and knocked on the door.

Aunt May opened the door clearly not pleased with Peter's late arrival. The old woman's age is clearly starting to show with bits of grey hair sticking out of her natural orange hair. "Peter, where were you tonight?" She asked as Peter entered.

"Uh…I was at Ned's house. He said he needed some help for his photography class." Peter blurted. "And what pictures were you two taking?" Aunt May asked. "Uh…" Peter thought awkwardly to himself. "Peter, if you don't give me that quick of an answer. I assume you're being dishonest." Aunt May replied.

"Okay fine…. Philip and I were doing physics homework… And …We talked about some girls too." Peter said with a cheesy smile. Aunt May sighed before she accepted Peter's word. "You two sure work hard together."

Peter soon saw that Aunt May looked visibly upset which prompted him to talk briefly about Uncle Ben. "I'm sorry… I know things have been rough these days." Peter then headed upstairs to get ready for school tomorrow.

After brushing his teeth, Peter walked into his room and the first thing he did was check him in the mirror. He rolled his left shirt sleeve up and examined the scar given to him by the burglar. "That's a mark…" He said to himself.

The rest of Peter's room held some of his cherished memories. The room was constantly in disarray with the bin next to his desk overflowing with snack wrappers. Posters including the time he faced a wrestler aligned his wall. While the desk with his homework had the textbook and other notes opened.

The last thing he did before he switched off the lights was the pictures lying on the desk containing the important memories with friends and family. There was a photo of Peter's real parents and him when he was a baby; a picture of him, Uncle Ben and Aunt May together at a park; a picture of him with his old friend Harry Osborn as well one with his former neighbour Mary Jane Watson. Harry had left Peter since he was 16 for another school at the insistence of his father while Mary Jane left when he was 17 to pursue an early career in acting and modelling.

"Good night, all of you…. See you tomorrow…." Peter yawned before going to sleep.

* * *

 _8:15 am Midtown High School…_

"Hey Peter, where were you last night? I've been trying to reach you, dude." Ned questioned as soon as Peter came to his locker. "I had a lot of things yesterday, Ned. You know… I've been prepping for the English essay test… Also I went shopping with my aunt and went out to eat, you know? Had to rush the last bit of physics around 6 this morning…" Peter explained.

"Well… You literally forced me to make a deal with Flash…" Ned whispered. "What?" Peter responded in disbelief. "Hey Leeds, get over here!" Flash called out from behind. Ned gave Peter a nervous look before he went away. Peter then saw his friend walk over to Flash and his friend circle including his brunette girlfriend, Liz Allen. Peter noticed Liz smile at him before he decided to sheepishly wave back.

"You got me into a confuzzle, you little shit…" Flash growled as he grabbed Ned by the collar, "You're gonna delete that file and start over. You understand? I'm going through that plagiarism bullshit because of you…" Peter then noticed Ned was starting to feel the heat from Flash before he stepped in.

"Hey Parker, aren't you supposed to take care of Leed's needs? Why did he come over to me for advice?" Flash complained. "Flash… You gotta chill when stuff like this happens." Peter answered. "I have an academic reputation I need to protect, Parker. You know what? I think you deserve the thrash so that your lazy friend can still feel bad…" Flash then viciously grabbed Peter by his collar.

Flash's friends attempted to hold him back with Liz exclaiming his name. "HEY!" the fight was soon halted by the principal of the school, Mr. Harrington who patrolled the hallways daily. "Get to class; I don't want to have to deal with trouble in the morning." Mr. Harrington said.

As the students picked their notes up, Flash snuck in a whisper to Peter's ear. "You're on my hit list for today, Parker…" After Flash left, Peter gave Ned a sorry look as his disappointed friend walked away. "Man, my two lives are all in a crisis today." Parker thought to himself.

During physics class at 8:30 am, Peter sat down in nervous anticipation regarding the assignment. Mr. Warren, the class science teacher stepped into class with a stern look on his face as he made his announcement. "Uh… I just want you all to know that the assignment has been delayed for five days. I had a bit of trouble accessing my work today due to a server error on my computer."

"Anyway… Um, graduation party will be here soon. I also have a special guest I would like to introduce as part of the school's partnership… Please welcome Martin Li…" Mr. Warren said. Peter then saw a tall and young Chinese man with a white shirt and black pants walk into class looking friendly.

"Hello everyone, my name is Martin Li and I'm here on behalf of F.E.A.S.T. I just want to let you people all know about the work we're trying to spread across all of New York. We've just recently established our new headquarters here around Forest Hills for our Queens department. Just would like all of you to know that we've heard stories surrounding economic downfall in New York, people have their jobs taken; their homes… It's something that concerns me."

Martin then paused for brief moment before he talked again. "Anyway, I don't want to waste class time. And to keep it short, your school has opened up a partnership with our organisation to recruit volunteers. We're looking forward to seeing some helpful people to spend some time with people who need our help. It's great for your resume and uh… That's it. I just want to leave with a motto of ours. When you help someone… You help everyone. Thank you."

The class then clapped as Martin left the room in a hurry, while most of the class felt like they were indifferent to the message Peter was impressed and thought to himself, "Man, someone who doesn't need to dress up and beat people to help others. Wouldn't I like to be him?"

"Well, there you have it… Quantum physics, page 209. Let's read through it… Gwen Stacy, you mind doing the honours reading for class?" Mr. Warren asked. Peter looked over to the blonde girl seated 2 blocks away from him. "I wonder if I could ask her to graduation with me. No, no, no…. How about I just… Focus on class. Yeah, that's it…"

* * *

 _10:05 am class break…_

For class breaks, Peter would normally hang out with Ned but because of the incident early in the morning Mr. Harrington had decided to call him and Flash to his office leaving Peter to do one thing and seek out his other friend, Phillip Chang.

Peter found Phillip in a quiet study room within the school library where he wore both his NYC cap without a care as well as his school coat looking over his laptop. "Hey there Phil… How have you been?" Peter asked. "I'm doing fine, Spider-Man…" Phillip remarked. "Phil, come on… Don't say that name out loud." Peter insisted.

"Well I know you aren't going to ask me about school work… So might as well talk about your vigilante crusade…" Phillip said. "Yeah about that… I think we need to talk about the costume." Peter said as he dragged his red suit out of his school bag.

Phillip helped spread the costume out on the table with Peter to examine it. "Okay… I see a tear on the left but wow…. Dude, your web shooters are fu-..." Peter then stopped Phillip from swearing, "Yes, they sure are. I also got a scar from one of the four dudes. That guy seriously could have killed me if it weren't for my spider powers…"

Peter rolled up his sleeve to show Phillip his scar. "Yikes, you still hurt from that?" Phillip asked. "It's actually nothing…" Peter shrugged, "Anyhoo…. I'd like to know what's going on the laptop." "Uh…Not much to be honest, my crime feed has reported that your fight from yesterday and they say that one guy actually evaded police. It might be the same dude who gave you a hard time."

"I gotta tell you… The craziest thing isn't my arm; it's that he nearly had me in the eye like that scene in Mission Impossible 2. Guess my super strength still counts as normal apparently. "Peter said as he recounted the events. "Sounds like we have ourselves a supervillain maybe…Noted." Phillip said as he tapped away on the keyboard.

"Oh yes… Phil, could you please track down the name 'Cavallaro' for me please? It's something I overheard when I took them out. Also the break is nearly over, could you also fix the suit a little?" Peter asked. "I could stitch the left arm up in time but the web shooters are very peculiar engineering…" Phillip insisted, "And yes, I'll look into the name."

"Thanks, Phil. Talk to you later. Oh, by the way I'll take care of those web shooters. " Peter said as he picked up his bag and left the suit with him.

* * *

 _4:32 pm Rego Park Oscorp Research Station…_

"Ugh… Without the webs, travel is just painful..." Peter thought to himself after he climbed an apartment building to reach a small white and sterile cube house with the words 'Oscorp' on top. "And I had to use my Spider-Man year one wrestling mask to avoid being spotted." Peter said as he took the black and red outlined mouthless luchador mask off him.

"Okay…The Oscorp employees are pretty much done for today leaving me the chance to look around in these blocks for Spider-Man resources. Good thing Harry gave me permission codes to access these places before he left. Thanks buddy." Peter then began tapping away on the keypad and entered the station.

Peter then rummaged through draws to find bits of scrap metal and other materials and began his construction for new web shooters. "Guess the old round ones won't do anymore…. Time to rethink the shape of these things." Peter thought to himself.

As Peter began building his web shooters, his phone rang from Phillip. "Hey, found some sources on your person of interest. It's not really him but some associates of his." "That's fine, Phil. Tell me what you got." Peter requested.

"There's a 10-65 a.k.a. a robbery that's supposed to happen near one of the local bank branches. If the coordinates I sent to your phone are correct, there's bound to be action going on." Phillip explained. "Phil, there's so many time I have to praise you. You're literally my eyes out there." Peter happily said. "Well, I also helped extend that time slot for your physics assignment. So you can thank me again." Phillip answered.

"Are you for real?! You hacked the school network? What do you even learn in IT class?" Peter asked. "If I can crack into police feed then the school network is just baby steps…."Phillip answered. "Okay, I think we better delete this phone call from our history in case we'd get caught." Peter said shaking his head and turned off his phone.

As time went by, Peter finally completed the web-shooters and was more satisfied with the design. "Flatter design should lessen the chance of my web shooters from jamming up." As he studied the small wristband gadgets he made.

"Hopefully the staff here won't mind too much since all they do is monitor the environmental air here. " Peter said as he packed away the tools and leftover materials to where they belonged. "Also hope that there's no security footage of me at Oscorp right now. Then again, it only happens if I access their computer mainframe."

As Peter stepped out of the station, he tested out the web shooters. The web line smoothly shot out with better accuracy against a wall. "Yes!" Peter exclaimed as he tested a few more shots before trying out his swinging.

With his temporary mask on, Peter shot out another web and swung from one building to another. "Ah, feels like year one again…" Peter said before he jumped off the building and started to swing away.

* * *

 _5:05 pm Hammerhead's penthouse…_

The burglar who tangled with Spider-Man came into his client's penthouse looking more professional with a suit and tie. His blonde hair was slicked back with gel as he entered the elevator. As he walked out, he met up with a strange man with a blocky forehead sitting alone on the table drinking.

"I saw your problem yesterday…" The burglar spoke in his Russian accent, "I'm asking for a raise, Mr. Cavallaro." The man stood up from his drink showing off his gold chain as well as a white shirt draped by a black buttoned shirt. "You're a professional killer, are you?" The man asked, "You're the best I could afford. The payment is the same as I offered."

"Does that payment mean anything worth if he could lift cars up with his two hands?" The burglar asked. "My head can crush a diamond if I really want to. You think a guy lifting a car surprises me?" Mr. Cavallaro threatened, "You ever wonder why they call me 'Hammerhead'?"

Hammerhead then showed the scars on his forehead to the burglar. "Knock me if you want…" The crime lord threatened. "I would…" The burglar replied, "If you're more than just your head. Your men so far from what I observe are disloyal. They talked about wanting to take your money all to themselves leaving you helpless."

"If you talk to me like that again…. I'll…" But before Hammerhead finished, the burglar interrupted. "You're not my boss… To me, you're just a client." The burglar replied, "I'll deal with your problems my own way and you'll be thanking me instead."

The burglar then turned away and walked towards the elevator in an instance with Hammerhead yelling, "You son of a bitch! You can't turn away our arrangement like this." But the burglar smiled as the elevator doors closed in front of him.

* * *

 _7:30 pm Corona Queens Community Bank Branch…_

Decked with his suit, Peter followed an armoured truck posing as bank security. As he swung by and perched, he watched as the truck parked in front of the local Queens Community bank. Two masked men got out of the front and opened the back to let out a man dressed in a yellow spandex-looking suit with a mask over him. The mask had a pair of safety googles that seemed like it was to protect him from whatever he is about to do.

"You two take a break… I'll do the heavy lifting." The man said as he walked to the locked door in an attempt to open it. "Sweet mother of… What's up with the costume? And what exactly do those gauntlets do?" Peter wondered as he watched, "No time to waste gotta stop this." It was at that moment Peter struck and dived down to deliver a solid kick onto one of the men. Before the other could react, Peter webbed him onto a nearby light pole.

"Okay… First of all, you do realise banks are closed at that time. Second of all, do you guys ever stop trying to steal? It's such a redundant crime but hey, at least you came with a fancy costume. Do you mind if I take some notes down about the design?" Peter jokingly asked.

The man in the yellow suit looked at him with his own eyes and scoffed, "Stay out of this; I don't need to add a body count to my list." "Funny thing is, I had someone try doing exactly that and he's still on the run. You know? The warehouse filled with $100 million or something like that. So what's up with the costume?" Peter asked not giving a care in the world.

The man then turned around and aimed his gauntlets at him before firing a warning air blast. "This is your final warning… Either you mind your own business or I blow your head apart…" The man warned. "Sorry but I have to stop you." Peter replied but before he could attack, the man shot another wave of air against him this time blasting Peter against the armoured truck which rolled over.

"Geez, my head hurts… Ugh." Peter said to himself before he stood up. "You wish you never sent me to prison!" The man shouted as he launched another wave in an attempt to hit Peter. As Peter dodged, he tried asking the man who he is, "Who exactly might you be then?" The man however ignored his question as he continued to shoot air waves at him.

Each air wave seemed to be more destructive than the other turning over parked cars as well as causing reckless property damage to windows and buildings themselves. Peter then heard civilians scream or shout in panic. "Can you settle down for a bit? Maybe I just want to talk things over. Like how you're in cahoots with a crime boss? Sound familiar?" Peter questioned.

"He has my head. If I don't deliver the money then I'm done. You can't mess with him one way or another." The man explained. "Oh okay…. Uh… What exactly does he do that can hurt you?" Peter wondered. "I don't know. Someone in his crew has been pulling the trigger left and right to silence us and put us into position." The man said as he defensively put his gauntlets in front of Peter who began tiptoeing in front of him with his hands in the air.

"Okay… You know that really helps. You know what else? Stopping this right now, I can help you." Peter insisted. "NO!" The man shouted as he launched another blast at Peter. Luckily with the help of his heightened senses, Peter jumped onto the light pole where he webbed one of the men unconscious before swinging to the right and shooting a web at one of the gauntlets.

As the man tried to remove the webbing off with his other hand, Peter shot out another web at the other gauntlet which caused him to be stuck on the glass window of the bank. Peter then rushed forward and delivered a kick onto the man's chest breaking the bank glass behind him. Not only were the window destroyed but an ATM machine had been hit hard as the man was moved by the kick's force.

"And I'll add some more webs for that..." Peter said as he sprayed the man to the wall while the night alarm tripped. The last thing Peter had to do was remove the digital gauntlets off the man's body to which he did with his strength. "You know I actually think those things you have on your hands are awesome but man do they not do you any favours." Peter remarked.

"Now to unmask you and stuff," Peter said as he ripped the yellow mask off the man's head. In an instance, Peter realised who he was. "Herman? Herman Schultz? Man, it's been quite some time." Peter said with a laugh. Herman then looked at Peter and spat at him.

"Ew… Herman. Come on, of all the people I locked away… You went out with style last time! This time, it's a new record. Man, could you tell me more about how you built that suit?" Peter asked excitedly. Herman said nothing as he struggled against the webs put on him.

"Well, I'll leave you to the authorities. Good luck with your prison sentence." Peter said patting Herman on the head before he left. "You idiot, they're going to kill me now!" Herman shouted at the top of his lungs as police sirens rolled in.

* * *

 _8:25 pm Train line…._

Peter reflected on the fight as he sat on the zooming train all the way back to Forest Hills, "That was so much easier than last time. Though, on the bizarre side its weird how someone is now donning a costume. That's totally a first. Now I have Herman on my suspect list, I'm one step close to being able to pinpoint whose top of the chain. Okay seriously, I can go home and work on that assignment. Oh, I better figure out the suit Herman was wearing. It looked like a protective suit against certain physical forces and it sure as hell can come in handy."

* * *

 _8:40 pm Elsewhere in Queens NY…_

A group of men armed with rifles, knives and handguns closed in on the traitor Hammerhead wanted dead. There he was, standing at the closed end of an alleyway in a trench coat and bowler hat while staring at a wall. In one hand, he has a face mask that he used to approach Hammerhead.

"Mr. Cavallaro would like to thank you for your time and service." The man leading the hunt said. The traitor snickered before he turned around to reveal his face. Some of the men were in shock at the sight a man whose entire head is wrapped in white. His nose also seemed to be missing making his face resemble a skull almost if only the piercing green eyes were not there.

"My pleasure, gentlemen," He said with a smile before throwing two ball-like objects to the ground which dispersed into tear gas. "Open fire!" The leaders shouted as a barrage of bullets were sprayed in the traitor's direction.

As ferocious as the firepower was, it was no match for the impeccable speed the man was capable of. Many of the men fell to a knife behind their back as well as some for their necks. Only three of the men including the leader stood their ground. One of them saw the bowler hat and trench coat on the ground.

"Where did he go?" One man shouted before being stabbed in the neck by his own teammate. In shock, the leader fell on the ground as the last man fell on the ground with a sickening thud. The man who had stabbed him turned his attention to the leader.

Much to the leader's dismay, his teammate turned out to be none other than the traitor himself. A holographic projection had been overlapped over his figure beforehand. "Wonderful technology, isn't it?" The traitor asked wiping his knife from the blood he had spilt.

The traitor grabbed the leader by his collar before stabbing him in the gut making his victim scream in pain. "You cold-blooded…" The leader stammered in pain. "That is why they call me, the Chameleon. Your safest moments are my speciality." The traitor said confidently.

"Run back to Hammerhead for me and make sure you make it in time." Chameleon warned as he watched the fearful leader run as best as he could with the knife wound near his stomach. Chameleon was left alone with the bloodshed he created, "Now to put on a face…"

TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. Fame Strikes

SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 2)

 _6:40 am Parker Residence…_

Peter's alarm clock rang as loud as it is causing Peter to toss around and wake up from his sleep. "Man, I think Herman nearly made my skull open. Head still feels a little wobbly." He thought to himself as he shut the alarm clock off.

Reaching for his phone, Peter received one message from Philip Chang with the message reading, 'This is huge!' accompanied by a news article link. "Wait, the Daily Bugle? What in the world?" Peter asked as he opened by the link.

SHOCK ALARM FIGHT SHAKES THE COMMUNITY OF QUEENS

By Christine Everheart

 _Locals yesterday reported at the neighbourhood of Corona, a brawl between two different costumed men erupted near a local Queens Community bank. One man had been identified as the local vigilante of Queens known as 'Spider-Man' while the other was a recently released small-time safe cracker, Herman Schultz._

 _The context to the fight was said to have been erupted with the latter attempting to perform a robbery at the bank with two other men. Schultz who many are now dubbing as 'The Shocker' was seen donning a yellow suit and digital gauntlets in an attempt to bypass many of the bank's security measures._

 _It was not too long later that Spider-Man himself showed up in an attempt to stop them resulting in reckless property damage. One woman complained, "I used to be indifferent to Spider-Man but witnessing the fight really raises some concerns for me. I am fearful of people like the man in the yellow suit but I'd much rather have the authorities deal with this."_

 _This comment raises an interesting topic regarding vigilantism. For years, there have been debates to impose tougher sanctions against those who act outside of the law. The mayor of New York briefly commented on this matter, "We've heard many different stories of vigilantism. The intentions may be good but overall, I insist that anyone in pursuit of justice should simply enrol in the police academy. It's a system that won't get you into trouble."_

 _Herman Schultz is now in local police custody alongside his accomplishes, Jerry Wrightway and Paul Ingram. Spider-Man however has escaped with the police putting him on the wanted list. More information will be reported in the future._

"Okay that was a biased article towards the end…" Peter thought to himself, "But wow, the Shocker? If Herman wants to wear that suit then maybe I should call him by that name." Peter then dressed up and brushed his teeth for school.

As he walked downstairs, Aunt May was sitting at the table with her coffee and newspaper. "Did you hear about today's news, Peter?" May asked. "I sure did, Aunt May. It was sure shocking…" Peter answered before realising his accidental pun, "Sorry, didn't mean to make a pun."

Aunt May managed to laugh a little before she could say a word, "Peter, before you go. I want to let you know about the F.E.A.S.T. advertisement that came in the mail today. They're really asking for volunteers like you."

"Oh that? I already have a lot that's going on. I…" but before Peter could finish, May cut in. "I think you're at that age, Peter. You really need to form your future." May insisted. "I'm not rejecting this, Aunt May. I have a lot that goes on." Peter said.

Aunt May sighed before she talked, "Ben would be proud if you can seize an opportunity like this. Even at his age, he always had time for everything." Peter paused for a few seconds before answering, "Yeah…. He did."

"I gotta go, Aunt May. Love you." Peter said again as he kissed her on the cheek and left.

* * *

 _8:15 am Midtown High School…_

Peter walked through the hallway seeing many of the students gathered around their latest edition of 'Midtown Special'. "Hey Parker," Peter turned around to see the school's editor hand a copy to him to which Peter saw what was on the front cover.

"Oh my god… My fight with Herman, it spread like a wildfire." Peter thought to himself, "I better talk about this with Phil later." "Hey dude!" Ned shouted startling Peter behind his back. "Ned, you gave me a heart attack." Peter hissed.

"Sorry but check it out…" Ned said waving his copy of the paper in front of him. "Yeah, I know. It's Spider-Man…" Peter said. "No, it's a big deal. We just had a major city brawl between two super powered dudes. Who knows what happens next?" Ned said giddily.

Peter started to notice that people were staring at him and Ned. "Okay Ned, chill…" Peter said, "It's not like you were there." "Hold on… Are you implying you were there?" Ned wondered. "What? No…" Peter insisted, "Come on let's get to class." Peter then dragged Ned with him.

* * *

 _10:15 am, class break…_

"I'm serious, Phil. I don't know if I want to continue this crusade now." Peter said as he walked back and forth. "Do you really think a couple of headlines is enough to make you quit?" Philip asked as he chewed on his carrot stick. "Hell no… It's just I'm not sure what I'm more worried about. The fact we could have caused the criminal underworld be on high alert or how close my identity can be exposed." Peter questioned.

"Please facing a dude who can shoot shock blasts or whatever is gonna garner pretty inevitable public attention. Besides, if you beat him, we basically made the criminal underworld fear us." Phillip confidently said, "Anyway, I just want to know… Does anyone else know about your secret?"

"Uh, not really. Just you Phil… I mean Ned is starting to snoop around a little. Aunt May might be close to knowing… But I know that they're good people." Peter replied. "Glad I'm the only one who knows. I'd like to keep that information safe." Phillip said smiling, "So are you really Spider-Man no more?"

Peter paused before he answered, "That'd be too far of a stretch. I mean I love the feeling of being him but I just need to be Peter Parker. Maybe we should let the authorities do their work or if we're lucky… We can have someone like Iron Man come down and help us."

"He's a public hero, dude. And he runs his own worldwide company. I don't think he's gonna care about our little neighbourhood." Phillip replied. "You think we can open our own multi-million company one day and that way Spider-Man will be legal?" Peter asked. "I'd like the idea; it'd make our work a lot easier." Phillip answered.

"Yeah… And I'd get it call it, 'Parker Industries'… Wait, no… Sounds very self- indulgent…" Peter said as he daydreamed. "Nah, I'd be fine. We have a 'Stark Industries' so I don't see too much of a problem other than competition." Phillip assured.

"Anyway, I think I'd like to say I'm gonna let Spider-Man go for now." Peter said, "I was thinking of going down to F.E.A.S.T. today and see what it's like there." "Uh yeah… Go for it," Phillip said, "I guess I can just go to computer club for the rest of the day."

* * *

3 _:15 pm F.E.A.S.T. centre, Queens_

The F.E.A.S.T. building looked like a nice office building with at least two storeys. "Isn't this supposed to be our town hall?" Peter thought as he walked into the premise. To Peter's surprise, the place was pretty packed. There were tables, chairs and even beds spread out in the hall. It looked like a nice community of people who seem to have nowhere to go.

"Hey there, can I help you?" A girl with a volunteer badge asked. "Uh yeah… I just want to know about this place. I'm considering doing some volunteer work here." Peter answered. "Welcome to F.E.A.S.T. It stands for Food, Emergency, Aid, Shelter and Training. Mr. Li is actually here today, you can talk to him if you're interested in applying."

"Lead the way please." Peter said and then Peter followed the girl to the second floor where they came across an office door. The girl knocked before Martin Li, the man behind the organisation said, "Come in." "Sorry to bother you, Mr. Li. But we have someone who might be interested in this place." The girl said before leaving. Martin sat in front of a desk with a laptop in front him surrounding by books and awards that recognise the work of F.E.A.S.T.

"Ah, correct me if I'm wrong but you're from Midtown High right?" Martin asked in a polite manner looking up from his computer. "Yeah, you're absolutely right." Peter said with a smile which caused Martin to laugh a little. "That's nice to know." Martin replied, "Tell me what brings you to F.E.A.S.T. today?"

"Well I have an aunt who reminded me about this place," Peter answered as he was handed an application form from Martin. "Does your aunt work now?" Martin asked. "She works at a grocery store during the weekdays." Peter informed.

"That's good to know and how much does she make?" Martin wondered. "Enough to pay the bills…" Peter said as he wrote his details down. Martin then laughed again, "Sorry, I didn't mean to ask such a rude question. We actually do offer paid work here at F.E.A.S.T., I'd be happy to offer her a job here if she is interested."

"Don't worry, wouldn't really hurt to ask…" Peter said as he signed the form and handed it over to Martin. Martin studied the application form carefully before he nodded at Peter. "Welcome aboard, Mr. Parker," Martin said, "We are kind of running short for today but there's still time if you want to prepare some food in the kitchen." "I'll check it out." Peter replied before he left the office.

Peter then helped himself find the kitchen on the first floor where he was welcomed by the smell of savoury stew. "Hey there, new guy," A blonde girl said walking about in the kitchen. Peter then recognised her as Gwen. "Gwen!" Peter said in surprise.

"Oh hey Peter, you here to give me a hand? Gwen asked as she prepared bowls of soup. "Yeah, it sure smells nice here." Peter said. "You talking about my perfume or the soup?" Gwen teasingly asked. "What? Of course, the soup," Peter corrected as he saw where the latex gloves were and went to put it on.

As he started working next to Gwen, he thought about asking her to the graduation party but a part of him felt hesitant. "So can you tell me anything about working here?" Peter asked. "Well there are a lot of nice people here for a start." Gwen said, "And I can put something on my resume when I apply for a full-time job. What about you?"

"I'd like to help people," Peter answered as he helped chop the vegetables. "Sure," Gwen noted as she went to check the soup. "Hey aren't you a friend of Mary Jane?" Gwen wondered as she turned off the heat. "Yeah, she used to be a neighbour of mine…" Peter informed, "Why?" "No particular reason, I'd just want to know if we share some connections." Gwen said.

"Yeah, she and I… We used to…" Peter stammered before Gwen cut in, "Date? That's so cute…Tell me, you got someone you want to take to graduation?" "Oh no… I'm not in the mood for dating right now. Got so much baggage." Peter laughed as he started tearing up from chopping the onions.

"Baggage? Wow, how did you even date Mary Jane in the first place then?" Gwen wondered. "It's not easy for me…" Peter said nervously before he realised the funny look Gwen was giving him. "OK, fine… Let's just get this soup delivered. There are people starving…" Gwen finally said.

At 4:15 pm, the volunteering service was done with each student volunteer ready to go home. "I hope we see each other again, Parker." Gwen said before she left. "So do I," Peter answered. As the two went their separate ways, Peter reflected on his meeting with her, "That was such an awkward girl talk, it almost felt like she was making moves on me. Man, what am I going to do?"

As Peter was walking, a part of him felt like he wanted to be Spider-Man. "I feel like I need to clear my head. Maybe I can try zip my way down to Rockaway Beach. Be nice if I could catch the sunset and the ocean waves." But before Peter could do so, he received a message from Phillip that reads 'Come to my house now!' Peter then groaned, "You gotta give me break, Phil."

* * *

 _5:30 pm Chang residence…_

"Seriously Phil, we just had the arrangement that we put our crime fighting business to rest…" Peter said looking bored as he sat on the floor of Phillip's room. "I know… It's just that my life is mundane and I also when I was listening to the police feed, I heard some pretty sinister shit…" Phil said leaning against the wall on top of his bed. "Is this about Mr. Cavallaro again?" Peter asked.

"Yes him and the Shocker, Cavallaro is being referred to as 'Hammerhead' by the police. Even without that fight yesterday, there would have been an escalation of things," Phillip explained, "organised crime is not going away anytime soon." "So can you tell me about Hammerhead?" Peter asked.

"You ever heard of the Maggia?" Phillip asked. "The what?" Peter answered back. "It's an international crime syndicate dating back to the early 20th century in Europe. Organised group of men who make their money through illegal stuff. There are so many families involved; it's like a pie chart." Phillip said.

"Well, I guess I can try paying him a visit now that I know who we're dealing with…"Peter replied. "Heard he's guarded in his little penthouse, the police don't get into his block that easy with the way he mounts his fortress. If the police try to use excessive force, he'd hire an air strike to bomb them out I bet." Phillip explained. "Okay so if his fortress is too dangerous to enter, why don't we try something else? Can we figure something out with Herman?" Peter questioned.

"Considering that suit he wore, I want to know what source he got it from." Phillip answered. "I agree and considering that his life might be at stake as well. Can you at least pinpoint where he's being held now?" Peter asked. "My sources say Middle Village precinct… I don't know why they didn't take him to the nearest… Though…" Just as Phillip was about to say more, he realised Peter had rushed out of the window ready to don his suit once again.

* * *

 _6:10 pm Middle Village police precinct…_

Peter landed on the side of the precinct building while he overhead two cops talk about Herman on the rooftop. "How long does he have?" One officer asked. "He's safe for now. The boss doesn't want to put him out of his misery yet." The other answered. "Great, Sounds like we might have corrupt cops…" Peter thought to himself.

As Peter started to carefully wall-crawl across the building, he managed to find extra secure windows that he believed held the prisoners. He peeped into each cell until he could identify Herman and his black hair. Herman looked miserable in one corner of his cell wearing his orange jumpsuit.

Peter gently tapped the glass window to catch his attention to which he responded by walking up to his window with and opening it. "What do you want?" Herman asked unhappily. "I want some honest answers, Herman and I want to keep you safe." Peter promised. "You can't, just let me rot in prison." Herman replied.

"Your boss, Mr. Cavallaro… Hammerhead. Tell me about him." Peter requested. "You don't want to talk here; he's got eyes all over Queens. He had me moved here for the sake of 'protection'." Herman cynically answered. "I'm sorry I can't get you out, buddy. But could you at least tell me how you got your suit and stuff? It really helps…" Peter insisted.

"Why should I tell you?" Herman questioned. "Because I'm trying to stop your boss and I proved that by stopping you." Peter answered. Herman hesitated before he decided to spill out some information. "My suit was manufactured at a place called Mason Consolidated Repairs. The suit, not the gauntlets. I made the gauntlets myself." Herman explained.

"Thanks Herman, just remember to pretend none of this happened. Stay safe please." Peter then jumped away in pursuit of his next destination. Once Peter found a safe place to perch, he rang Phillip about his information, "Phil, you've got Wi-Fi now right? Get me some information on Mason Consolidated Repairs."

* * *

 _6:45 pm Mason Consolidated Repairs…_

Finding a warehouse with the words, 'Mason Consolidated Repairs' above a small garage door, Peter took the time to observe his entry. "No open windows but hopefully there's an opening somewhere else." Peter commented before figuring out the ventilation systems for the place.

Peter opened up the grate on top of the roof and snaked his way through the system until he found himself in the main entrance room of the warehouse, "Okay, lots of shelves and other stuff but I feel like I'm gonna ruin someone's business today." Peter then tiptoed across the room using his adjustable eye lens to scan the environment before noticing that the walls do not have consistent structural patterns.

"Secret door?" Peter wondered as he pressed his hands on the wall until he felt the door move. Finally one part of the wall moved aside to reveal a hidden room that caught Peter's interest. "Whoa…Is this a secret workshop? Man, I am jealous…" Peter said as he looked in awe at the setting.

Exploring the room, Peter found things that made him almost forget about his objective. "Whoever this guy is, he has all the materials, all the tools he has to make what I really need. Oh my god… If only I could… No, gotta focus… Hammerhead must have plans here on what he's been up to."

Peter looked around until he opened up a locker with rolled blueprint storages and carefully opened up each to reveal weaponry plans. "Wait…Most of these blueprints came from different companies including Oscorp… Okay, so this guy is definitely not that original."

Before Peter could read anymore blueprints, his 'Spidey-sense' suddenly went off alerting him to someone's presence. "Crap, crap… I gotta put all of this back together." Peter said as he scrolled the blueprints back up but he was too late when he saw a man in a blue welder suit standing in front of the secret doorway.

The man seemed to be of average height and a little overweight. He also wore glasses as well as a shaved beard on his face. "Uh hi…I was just putting things back together…" Peter said as he sheepishly put the last blueprint back into storage. The man then took out a bladed weapon sizzling with hot plasma energy.

"Is that a plasma knife? Wow… That's futuristic." Peter said before the man started swinging the blade. Peter dodged and shot out a web before his attacker used the knife to cut the web off. "Oh no…" Peter said when he realised his webs were inefficient.

Peter then had to use his superhuman strength to fight off to which he was able to land a couple of hits against the man knocking off his glasses as well as knocking him into the wall. He then webbed away the handle of the plasma knife from the man to himself and deactivated it.

"You the owner of this place?" Peter asked. "Phineas Mason and you're invading my property…" The man answered. "Okay, Finney… Tell me what exactly does Hammerhead make you do?" Peter asked again. "Ways to snuff you out, he's making my business profitable in return…" Phineas replied.

"Fair enough, you wanna tell me how you got a bunch of plans that aren't yours?" Peter asked referring to the blueprints. Phineas gave Peter a snicker before answering, "He's got good connections. Good ones that a kid like you wouldn't want to mess with."

"You know, I should be arrested for entering your premise. But I busted your business for illegal manufacture of dangerous items. You shouldn't tinker about with things that aren't yours." Peter said as he picked up the blueprint storages off the ground. "I'd sue you in court, you ignorant child!" Phineas threatened.

"And how are you gonna do that if you don't know who I am?" Peter said walking away with the blueprints. "Come back here!" Phineas yelled as he tried to grab him. "Besides, blueprints like these are confidential. Why not just stick to repairing stuff that benefits society? Like a little kid's teddy bear? Peter joked leaving Phineas to himself.

After leaving the warehouse, Peter examined the blueprints carefully again. One of them was the basis for Shocker's suit. "Wow, the specs on this suit are kind of crazy. One of these days we're going to war with suits like these." Peter thought holding the blueprint in his hand, "I think I can use these first before I return it to where it came from."

* * *

 _7:15 pm Middle Village Precinct…_

After the massacre of Hammerhead's men, Chameleon made his way to the Middle Village precinct disguised as a police officer he had maimed recently. His next motion of plan was based on the recent news between Spider-Man and Shocker.

Greeting the police officers at the front of the door, Chameleon scrolled through bypassing security using the original police officer's ID and facial features. As he entered, he took out three little sticky grenades out of his pockets and smiled.

Two officers were always on patrol on the cell level making sure the prisoners were on their best behaviour while being detained. Chameleon casually strolled up to the officers naturally and asked without his native accent, "Evening officers… How's it going?" "It's doing fine, man. It's just that our VIP has been sulking a little too much." One officer replied, "What are you doing here?"

Without an answer, Chameleon took out a stun gun and shocked the officer to unconsciousness. The other officer tried to shoot him before Chameleon threw a knife into his neck. Grabbing the key card off one of the officer, Chameleon strutted into the cell keeping Herman captive.

Herman was in shock the moment Chameleon came in as the disguised police man. "You're here to end me, aren't you?" Herman asked. "No…" Chameleon calmly answered. "Then who are you?" Herman asked. Chameleon slowly and briefly peeled his face up to reveal his pale white face which spooked Herman.

"It's you…" Herman said in a traumatised manner. "Don't worry; I don't work for Hammerhead no more. He's a loose end…" Chameleon assured in his Russian accent. "Then what do you want?" Herman asked. "Follow me…" Chameleon replied.

Leading Herman away from the cell, Chameleon took him by the arm and exited the precinct leaving behind the three sticky grenades he had with him. He shot every other officer in his way as the bottom floor of the entire precinct was engulfed in flames.

"Get in…" Chameleon said to Herman as they got into the car and drove away. "If you're not working for him," Herman questioned, "Then what are you planning to do?" "Look at the backseat behind you." Chameleon answered as they drove. Herman then saw his Shocker costume lying there at the back. "Your gauntlets are also with me…" Chameleon added.

"Why am I donning that costume again?" Herman asked in a concerned manner. "Because I need your expertise and I need your help to take care of another problem…" Chameleon explained. "What do you want?" Herman wondered. "I want you to help me find Spider-Man and kill him…" Chameleon answered.

* * *

 _11:15 pm Parker residence…_

Peter sat in his room pondering on the blueprints and thought for so long on how his current suit compares to what the new design could bring. "That fabric really softens the blow of things, huh?" Peter thought, "That's one Spider idea noted. Also seeing as how much military stuff gets created at Oscorp, wouldn't it be brilliant if I made something like a web grenade or a… Web mine? Hm, you know what? Continuing to be Spider-Man might actually be worth it after all. I gotta rest now… Good thing it's the weekends tomorrow, gives me plenty of time to work this out."

TO BE CONTINUED…


	3. Out of the Blue

SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 3)

 _8:15 am Mason Consolidating Repairs…_

The next morning, Herman and the Chameleon made their way to Phineas Mason's little workshop in order to push forward their crusade at both Hammerhead and Spider-Man. Herman was all suited up and followed Chameleon's word from this moment forward.

Chameleon disguised as a Hammerhead thug started knocking on the garage door while calling Phileas's name out, "Phineas, the boss wants to see you." "Oh please, give me some time to work things out." Phineas called back. "Heh, heh... He's a puny coward." Chameleon whispered to Herman.

The garage door slowly unveiled with Phineas standing in front looking timid yet brave at the same time. The timidness engulfed Phineas the moment he saw Shocker standing next to Chameleon. "What's he doing here and where is the boss?!" Phineas asked.

"Thank you for letting us in," Chameleon said, "We'd like to observe some of your work." "Work? Oh, there have been some complications last night…" Phineas blurted as he backed himself to his secret workshop. "Tell me…" Chameleon continued.

"It's Spider-Man; he came down here and stole some blueprints off me!" Phineas exclaimed. "Spider-Man, now what did he want your work for?" Chameleon asked curiously. "He came here committing robbery and now Mr. Cavallaro is gonna kill me." Phineas whimpered.

"Oh, Phineas, Hammerhead is not here yet." Chameleon said switching to the Russian accent and peeling away his face mask. "In fact, you are going to have answer for me." Chameleon continued. "Dmitri? You shouldn't be here. You're on the wanted list." Phineas said reaching for his plasma knife in his pocket.

"He was never my boss to begin with and his fortune will be mine," Chameleon proclaimed while menacing Phineas, "You can start helping me out. It's your choice." "Well…Sure, but my business will…" But before Phineas could finish, Chameleon suddenly grabbed the plasma knife in his hand and drove it into his heart.

Herman was startled by the act but did not want to say anything in fear that Chameleon will somehow silence him as well. "In my line of work, trust is important. If you can't decide on your loyalty then you are out…" Chameleon whispered to the dying Phineas's ear. Hammerhead's chief weaponry engineer slowly slumped to the ground, his glasses fell off and his eyes went cold in an instance.

Herman stared at the lifeless body before asking Chameleon a question, "Why did you do that?" "It's a shame really… He's a gifted man. In my homeland, he would have been a great recruitment for the 'shipon' agency. Sadly, his pitiful nature wouldn't do us any favours." Chameleon explained with a little regret.

Turning to Herman, Chameleon continued wielding Phileas's plasma knife in admiration, "We don't really need his assistance… We can build things from scratch ourselves. Grab as many of the supplies here and once we got everything, I'll leave Hammerhead a message…" Herman looked at his own gauntlets before mumbling, "Yeah…"

* * *

 _9:32 am Forest Hills Shopping Centre…_

During the weekdays, Peter would do the shopping and pick up the usual groceries while Aunt May would stay at home and occasionally chat with some friends of hers. "Bread, milk, eggs…. The typical must needs in every household and hopefully some stuff to start building on the suit I always wanted." Peter said in his own head.

Peter pushed his trolley and looked through each and every item carefully while thinking of his money. As he was pushing the trolley, he came to a halt in front of a familiar face. Gwen Stacy stood there with headphones in her ears and a basket on her arms. As soon as she noticed Peter, her face lit up to greet him.

"Peter, hey! Fancy running into you." Gwen said with a smile while taking her headphones out and pausing the song. "Uh, hi Gwen. Didn't expect you to be here." Peter said with a laugh, "You look nice." "Oh thanks…" Gwen replied as Peter noted her green shirt and skinny jeans.

"I don't see you here often. What brings you out here?" Peter questioned. "Me? I'm actually here on 's recommendation. I'm looking for kitchen stock." Gwen explained. "Oh that makes it more than just a coincidence then…" Peter said looking away a little. "Why? Am I distracting you?" Gwen teased.

"Yeah, I'm just focused on my grocery list now…" Peter answered. "Well in that case… Have fun shopping… "Gwen said, "See you around….Tiger." "Wait, Tiger? Oh my god… Is she is trying to replace Mary Jane?" Peter asked himself in a confused state, "Anyway gotta find all the essentials and see if I can find some crafting materials."

During 10:15 am, Peter now held handbags of items in addition to items such as superglue, fabric and rubber. As he was walking, he came across the newspaper agency with the latest Daily Globe article stacked in front of him. "What the heck is this?" Peter wondered picking a copy up.

FREAK EXPLOSION DAMAGES POLICE AUTHORITY IN QUEENS

By Edward Brock

 _After New York's historic battle between Spider-Man and the Shocker, a sudden explosion was triggered inside a Middle Village police precinct yesterday. The result of which caused the death of at least 10 people with 4 being officers. Herman Schultz, the man behind the 'Shocker' moniker is nowhere to be found after this tragic incident leaving many to wonder if it was part of his plan._

 _What remained of the security footage captured a brief snippet of a police officer seemingly incapacitating his fellow officers which lead to a theory that Herman Schultz had help from the outside. "We don't know which one of us has attacked and we don't know the motive," Captain Christian Young commented, "For all I know is that Herman Schultz was working for the mob leader Joseph Cavallaro aka Hammerhead. However for us, it's hard to make a move against him without disturbing the community of Queens."_

 _The officer refers of course to how organised Hammerhead is. The man has amassed a large amount of wealth originating from his ties with the Maggia syndicate. Police are now on high alert for Herman Schultz with additional evidence that his gear had also been stolen from other police precincts. The mourning for those who had died yesterday will commence at 10:30 am tomorrow at St John's._

"Oh no…" Peter said after finishing the paper.

* * *

 _10:05 am Chang residence…_

"Herman got out and it's my fault…" Peter said to Phillip looking guilty. "I don't know what to say, Peter. It's hard to say since it's all calculated. Fact is, it doesn't feel Hammerhead's people are responsible for it. Some of the people who died are suspected of having ties to him." Phillip replied.

"I really don't want to mope about it. If there's trouble going on than we gotta keep fighting the good fight. We can put Herman back to where he belongs." Peter said optimistically. "I never seen you that optimistic with deaths before," Phillip noted. "Well… That accident in the past has taught me a lot." Peter answered reminding Phillip of Uncle Ben.

"So, you said you found blueprints the other day and you want to make some upgrades right?" Phillip asked. Peter turned to his friend, "That's the plan…" Unpacking his schoolbag, Peter put out certain materials which included things such as superglue, duct tape and fabric. "There's no way you can just put together the stuff you need from the supermarket. Maybe you need some things from your friend, Harry." Phillip said looking at the stuff.

"The research stations actually don't offer a lot plus all the Oscorp labs are in Manhattan which are tightly secured. Trust me; I've seen it before when I got my powers." Peter assured. "Right…Then where you gonna get your things from?" Phillip wondered. Peter looked at Phillip giving him a reassured smile.

* * *

 _The course of several days…_

The first step into making the things they need was looking for inspiration online. "I need something like an athlete's uniform. Spandex or whatever…. Something that is both flexible and comfortable." Peter explained. Phillip jotted these notes down on a piece of paper.

The second step was to start small by brainstorming the gadgets. "Harry used to show me pictures of bomb prototypes. Like little balls except I'd like mine to feel more like rubber instead of a killer one. Also I'd like some voltage to go with the webs. Just enough so that I don't fry my targets." Peter continued.

The final step involved the course of action as well as the finalisation of materials. "'Okay, here's the deal… I can get some stuff from school. We also need training dummies… Think you can sort that out for me?" Peter requested. "No problem, Mr. Stark…" Phillip sarcastically remarked.

The next few hours spent was doing exactly as coordinated. The process even included Peter sneaking back to Midtown High to collect some items from the science labs. "I think they restock these anyway. It's just the web fluid I need to make." Peter remarked as he stealthily exited out of a vent with a bunch of contained chemicals in his bag.

While Peter built the web bombs, trip mines and other web-related gadgets, the creation of the natural web fluid generally causes an odour to which people close to Peter such as Aunt May and Ned noted when he was at home or school. Even during the F.E.A.S.T. volunteering, Gwen could not help but notice Peter acting weird.

"Okay, uh… Can we test these now?" Peter asked Phillip holding a shiny metal ball in the palm of his hand. Phillip nodded acknowledging that he was prepared for the testing. Together, the two would head down to Rockaway Beach where they could place the dummy on the sand and test out the gadgets. As soon as the electric webs were tested, the training dummy got burnt a little.

In order to handcraft the suit, Peter continued his research into spandex as well as materials that are used to make clothing with reference to the blueprints. It was at that time; Peter had to practice using the sewing machine. In addition to being more faithful to what he had envisioned originally, Peter made the armoured modifications. The adjustable eye lenses this time around were also given a flat shape rather than a google like appearance this time around.

After Peter put on the suit in Phillip's bathroom, we walked out refreshed as ever. "Oh my god, this feels incredible… It's less stuffy." Peter commented. "Whoa…" Phillip commented as he witnessed the new suit. Picking up his old suit, Peter said a couple of words, "It's been good swinging with you. Time to add you to my vintage suit collection with the wrestler outfit."

* * *

 _3:30 pm Chameleon's hideout in Jamaica, Queens…_

During the days Peter was making the suit and other gadgets, crime had time to catch up. Hammerhead's activities were reduced in the wake of Chameleon's betrayal with Chameleon building up his own empire.

Some of Hammerhead's men were persuaded to join Chameleon in defiance against Hammerhead for not getting paid well. Once the circle was formed, Chameleon for once in his life earned his sense of triumph. "It's great to see you all, my friends…" Chameleon said lifting his hands in the air like a leader with his true white face in full glory and wearing his black and green bathrobe.

Chameleon's hideout was mainly the longue in his house that looked suitable to act like a private bar or a nice holiday retreat. Chameleon had prepared a presentation for his allies using his own projector. "Friends, I would like all of you to listen carefully." Chameleon instructed, "Together we can end Hammerhead for good and take over his assets. We may also take joy in bringing Spider-Man to his knees."

"You really sure you can bring Spider-Man down, ya bastard?" A blonde middle-aged Australian man called out. "Absolutely, my friend. Unlike Hammerhead, I have been trained to fight like him and infiltrate places like him. Now carefully…" Chameleon hissed.

Chameleon clicked the next button on his remote controller which led to slide containing one big blueprint. "When I trained to be a spy, I tracked down plans from across the globe and fed back this information to my comrades. Stark Industries, A.I.M., you know the rest. I replicated these without needing to steal them. Which is why I can afford to betray Hammerhead…" Chameleon said confidently.

The Australian man nodded with a scowl on his face. "As a matter of fact, I don't just want guns and knives in my crew. I want good technology to help us. Which is why I broke my friend, Herman out." Chameleon said spelling out his plans, "What is your name again?" "Me? The name's Frank Oliver. I'm an escaped convict from Straylia. Came here to escape my sentences and now here I am on this side of the world helping people like you." The Australian man said with the crew looking at him.

"Frank, my friend. Do we wish to set yourself as a fine example?" Chameleon asked. "What is it do you want me to do, lizard-man? You're gonna kill me and take my good looks?" Frank asked back. "They call me 'Chameleon' first of all and I am not a psychopath. I kill for my own survival and I don't want to deal with disloyalty in my clan…" Chameleon said walking up to him.

"Hey, I'm just messing with ya. Course I want to be in this party. Old Hammerhead never pays the big bucks." Frank insisted while backing away when Chameleon showed the plasma knife that had been previously used by Phineas Mason. Chameleon nodded before putting the weapon away, "Good… There will be a place for jokes, Frank…"

"Okay back to the original question then…" Frank said sighing in relief. "Since Herman dons the yellow suit, I want someone else to try something similar on." Chameleon explained skipping a few slides, "I made something similar beforehand… Something almost as similar to Spider-Man."

Frank saw on the slide a suit that looks like Herman's except this time around the boots were also capable of air launching. Frank laughed before commenting, "Mr. Chameleo, where is my super suit now?" Chameleon snapped his fingers with one man carrying a box. Inside the box was a replica of the Shocker suit only this time it was red. "See? It's red like Spider-Man's…" Chameleon said.

* * *

 _6:35 pm Hammerhead's penthouse…_

In his new suit, Peter made his way to Middle Village where he started to begin his crusade in taking Hammerhead down. Before he would attempt the infiltration, he texted Phillip that he was about to begin his mission as the new Spider-Man. "Okay, time to shut this guy down…" Peter said to himself.

Peter saw that there were men in front of the gates and men patrolling the front yard with German Shepard dogs on leash and rifles on hand. "Dogs? Oh my god… "Peter said as he swung to the top of the penthouse. "Okay time to see if my gadgets work…" Peter said picking out certain things out of his pocket.

Stealthily, Peter picked apart the guards who were by themselves with no dogs using his trip mines which webbed them against the wall. In order to stop the dogs from barking, Peter picked them off with the electrical webs with web bombs being used to take down the person walking them.

"Ha! Everyone worked out well in the end…" Peter said, "Let's pay this guy a visit now." Once all the men were in capitated, Peter swung onto the balcony and attempted to open the glass door. The door opened with a slight creak to which Peter tried to silence.

"Okay, this looks about as nice as the time I went to Harry's place…" Peter said as he tiptoed in. The first thing Peter noticed was a note on the kitchen table. Peter picked up and read it to himself.

 _Dear Joseph,_

 _I'm sorry to call this off but there is hardly anything left I could do for you to fix your head. Modern surgery is just not up to standard yet but hopefully we are close. I suggest you give yourself plenty of time to rest during hours of pain and when you eat, take a tablet._

 _On the bright side, your head is remarkable. You would be able to reduce the damage you could take from incoming physical objects. Stay healthy and stay safe._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Dr. Harrow_

Suddenly Peter's 'Spidey-sense' went off as a shotgun shell narrowly missed him and shattered the window from behind. Peter saw a looming shadow in front of him at first before the lights switched. "Trespassing in my domain?" Hammerhead asked as he stood there in his pyjamas with a shotgun in hand.

" … Or Hammerhead, which one do you prefer? I'm surprised I didn't hear you walk." Peter said. "I prefer the reputation I have…" Hammerhead said with his bulging forehead intriguing Peter. "I don't believe we met until now. Gosh how are you holding now that I read about your condition?" Peter asked in a jokingly concerned manner.

"This is high tech vibranium," Hammerhead said pointing to the stitched forehead. "I'm actually starting to feel a little sorry now that I see you. But you've been causing a bit of trouble around here for quite a long time." Peter talked back. "I'd actually kill you now but unfortunately I have some explaining to do." Hammerhead said dropping his shotgun to the floor.

"What is it? Did your friends betray you?" Peter asked. Hammerhead laughed before answering, "Yes, I haven't been in business for a bit because of someone. Please, take a seat and don't try and stop me for a brief moment." Hammerhead then motioned Peter to sit near the dinner table.

Peter did as he told and sat on a chair in front of the dining table. Hammerhead then walked out with a folder in his hand and took out a black and white photo of Chameleon in his full facial glory. "This is Dmitri Smerdyakov, I hired this man to do my bidding. To kill you." Hammerhead said.

"Does this guy have an actual face?" Peter wondered. "Heh, heh… The tricky part is he impersonates a lot of people. His talent was incredible and now, he's gone rogue in our little neighbourhood." Hammerhead continued. "Okay Hammerhead, I'm interested…" Peter said.

"He's been on a killing spree lately. He took out at least eight of my men in an alleyway and one of them came back with a bleeding stomach. He's recently gutted my top mechanic. None of which has been reported by the media." Hammerhead said shaking his fist. "Is this mechanic named Phineas Mason?" Peter asked.

"Yes, that one." Hammerhead answered. "What do you want?" Peter asked confused that he is talking with a crime lord. "Dmitri is the bigger problem than me. He's the one who released Shocker out of one of my favourite police precincts." Hammerhead said as he tried to appeal to Peter.

"It sounds like you're making me an offer I can't refuse…" Peter quoted before Hammerhead grabbed him by the wrist. "Listen to me carefully, kid. I'm giving you the slip now. If we don't take him out then Queens will be ruined and things won't be as normal as you think." Hammerhead said in an intimidating manner before letting Peter go.

Peter then stood on his chair and back flipped off. "Okay, but if you mislead me on this one the next time we meet, I will take you out without question." Peter said as he stepped out of the broken glass window to leave. "My men will escort you out if you don't mind…" Hammerhead insisted. "Took care of that…" Peter said as he swung out into the night.

* * *

 _7:00 pm Juniper Valley Park…_

Peter sat on a tree taking a break after his run-in with the infamous crime lord. "That actually still was intense even with the new suit…" Peter thought as he went to check with Phillip on his phone. Ringing his number, Peter informed Phillip of his findings.

"Hey Phil, I actually just had a friendly chat with Hammerhead and he's given me something to look into. Can you help search up a dude called Dmitri…Uh…Smerdyakov… Yeah that's it." Peter requested. "Copy that, how did you end up talking to a guy like him?" Phillip wondered.

"It's a coincidence really… Otherwise I would have been killed on sight." Peter explained. "Lucky you then, I'll look into your subject. We also have another problem going on." Phillip said. "Yes?" Peter asked. "There's been a bit of a ruckus at Forest Hills at the moment believe it or not. There's police firing going on against a man who's leaping up and down in the air. Looks an awful lot like our friend, Shocker." Phillip explained.

Without a word, Peter swung immediately and turned off his phone. "I knew you wouldn't stay out of trouble, Herman…" Peter said.

* * *

 _7:35 pm Forest Hills Station…_

NYPD police cars formed a blockade against Frank Oliver donning a red Shocker suit who is causing nearby parked cars to flip over to the fear of many nearby residents. The police tried to shoot Frank but had little effect over his digital gauntlets made for him.

"Bloody hell I'm having a ball!" Frank yelled as he crumbled the bullets into pieces with the vibrations produced by his gauntlets. In the nick of time, Peter perched on the side and called out, "Hey Herman, I see you have a new suit. You and I definitely have some common colour preferences."

Frank turned his attention to Peter and spoke, "You there! Get yer ass down here and face me!" "I'll be there." Peter said as he swung down onto the road. "Okay, you're talking with an accent. You can't be Herman then who are you?" Peter asked.

"None of yer business, ya farking twat. Chameleon is paying me for your corpse!" Frank yelled in an over the top fashion. "Chameleon? Well then, also please be mindful of your language." Peter said as he rushed up to Frank and dodged an incoming blast from him before repeatedly shooting webs at him.

"Argh!" Frank yelled as his hands were now stuck. Peter then shot out another web that attached to the body of Frank and jumped towards him pinning him down. "I can tell you're from Australia. Can I tell you something? Did you know the red kangaroo is one of the largest species of kangaroo out there and they're also the most aggressive? Especially the males." Peter joked.

"Good one, kiddo. Did ya know the funnel web is the most venomous spider?" Frank quipped back before using his technological boots to lift himself out and escape. As Frank's boots sent out a blast of air waves that moved him away, Peter held onto his web in order to stick with him.

"Ow!" Peter yelled out as he felt himself being lifted up and down from Frank trying to escape. Frank attempted to escape from the direction of the police until he hit his head against the railway bridge of Forest Hills due to a lack of care. This helped Peter by sheer luck as he still held onto the rope of his web.

"You got lucky there!" Frank called out as he stood up to face Peter. "You're right," Peter said holding on, "I am lucky." Peter then fired an electrical current from the web which sent jolts of electricity that deactivated the gauntlets and the boots as well as stunning Frank.

"Okay, the final touch…" Peter said as he swung to both sides of the bridge to tie Frank up in the air leaving him trapped. "Hang in there!" Peter said as Frank was bound together in mid-air. Peter then jumped onto the hanging body of Frank and lifted his red mask.

"Okay, serious question about the Chameleon? What does he want?" Peter asked. Frank replied by spitting only for Peter to slap him on the face leaving a web mark. "I'll get you talking in no time…" Peter answered before jumping to the ground.

The residents who had been terrorised clapped at the act of heroism with police putting away their guns. "Thank you all…" Peter said before seeing a police captain walk up to him. "Spider-Man, thank you for the help." "No problem, officer." Peter said shaking his hand.

"I'm Captain Stacy." The police captain replied which caused Peter to widen his eye lens. "Nice to meet you… Uh… I got some information I can relay you." Peter said before explaining both Dmitri Smerdyakov and the Chameleon. "Noted…" Captain Stacy said as he wrote it down on a book, "We'll be taking Mr. Frank Oliver to Supreme Court now for his sentence and he'll back in his home country as soon as possible."

"I got to places to be now!" Peter said before swinging away. Captain Stacy paused for a brief moment before he spoke, "Take care…" As Peter swung away, a part of him blushed. "Oh my god… That was Gwen's dad…" He said to himself.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	4. The Suits Assemble

SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 4)

 _11:15 pm Parker residence…_

After dinner downstairs with Aunt May, Peter spent most of his time in his room piecing together his own private investigation. He multi-tasked the roles of making sure his gadgets were fine; writing down what he knows about the Chameleon and using his phone to keep in touch with Phillip. The most important thing was that his suit was well-concealed from sight right away by being tucked under Peter's bed.

"I beaten a red Shocker knock-off today and finished dinner, now I'm safely in my room figuring things out." Peter said as he made the final touch in putting together a web bomb. "Awesome…" Peter smiled as he held the ball in his hand. Phillip then rang Peter up, "I just did every search engine possible and couldn't pinpoint anyone with the name Dmitri Smerdyakov. But I did find some results on a 'Chameleon'. People say he's an urban legend in other countries, like he's the kind of guy to snatch up different people when they're alone and then the next day, he's like that person."

"So are we dealing with a serial killer then? And Hammerhead pays him?" Peter said with the phone next to his ear as he shifted his attention to writing down information on a piece of paper. "I have a theory, since his real name is Russian. I'm not trying to imply anything but do you think this is some spy/assassin thing going on?" Phillip wondered.

"I don't want to go too far into politics, Phil. I'm just gonna assume Hammerhead wanted a hitman and he went rogue…" Peter quickly said. "You still have the blueprints for your upgrades?" Phillip wondered. "I actually do. I was going to return them until I realise that these blueprints could fall into the wrong hands. Given how I saw red Shocker out there, I think it's best if they don't get too many ideas. Besides if Harry was around, I think he'd be okay with these for a while." Peter assured.

"Cool. Okay, I gotta go to sleep now. Later." Phillip said before hanging up. Peter put the phone down and yawned, while he tried to finish writing down about the Chameleon. It was at that moment, he heard a knock on his door and Aunt May call out his name, "Peter?" "Oh god…" Peter said as he started to hide all the stuff on his desk.

Aunt May then opened up the door and peeped in, "Peter, you know if Ben was around, he'd tell you to go to bed straight away." "I'm sorry Aunt May; it's what happens when you're near the end of high school." Peter tried to explain while hiding the gadgets and other things behind him. "Before I say goodnight, I'd like to make a little announcement." May said.

"Uh... Sure." Peter replied. "I kindly requested that I leave my old job and now I'm in a better position. I'm now happily working for the F.E.A.S.T. organisation as a part-time employee." May answered. "Really? Uh… That's great." Peter complimented. "The man who runs that place? I've never thought I met someone as sweet as Ben." May chuckled.

"Well, Mr. Li did say to us at school, 'You help someone, you help everyone'. The guy is really optimistic." Peter said. "Martin certainly has a charm to him. Besides, I think paying the bills from now on will be much easier." May explained, "Anyway… Lights out before 11:30 pm." May then closed the door before departing for sleep.

Peter took a huge breath and a sigh of relief, "Thank god, she didn't snoop too hard this time. Better yet, she didn't see my suit."

* * *

 _8:30 am Midtown High School…_

Monday was the time school assembly happened with many of the students gathered at the school hall. The cheerleaders warmed up the audience before principal Harrington strolled in like a celebrity. Peter usually sat next to Ned when assembly happens and feels a little awkward with the other students around him.

For starters, Peter could feel Flash and his friends behind him and often suspected that they are teasing him for hanging out with Ned. Since Uncle Ben's death, Peter had tried to do things for the better and support those with no help. Though he felt the pressure, he was determined to let his uncle's famous words live by him.

There was a comforting sight however as Peter saw Gwen stroll in to join her girlfriends. Luckily for Peter, Gwen did notice him and smiled at him a little. Peter couldn't help but feel a little queasy from that look. Phillip on the other hand always sits at near the corner far from Peter to avoid anyone finding out his connection to Spider-Man.

As everyone stopped talking, Mr. Harrington started to address the school. "Folks, I have very entertaining public service announcement I want to make. I'm sure you all want to hear it…" Mr. Harrington blurted before letting moments pass. "It's about Spider-Man, now before you all get excited, I want all of you to learn an important lesson from him. Yes, we know that people like Captain America or Iron Man have a place in our world and they clearly have given us something. But let tell me tell you one thing…"

Mr. Harrington then took another moment of silence before continuing, "Where ever Spider-Man goes, the danger comes with him. Surely you all heard the latest news about him near Forest Hills throwing himself around with that red Shocker-look alike. Thank god that the police were there and that the injuries had been minimal. So stay safe and remember to not worship your idols to an extreme. Now I'll hand it over to Sally Avril for our weekly sports report…"

"He really sounds like the chief editor at the Daily Bugle…" Ned whispered to Peter. Peter in response gave him a strange look.

* * *

 _9:15 am, chemistry class…_

"Remember class; don't let the beaker heat for too long…" Mr. Cobbwell, the chemistry teacher instructed, "Once the dye turns orange, turn the flame off." The students were all working on practical involving proteins in which Peter secretly tried to create samples of web fluid in each class whenever he could afford it.

"Oh my god, the fight between Spider-Man and red Shocker hit so close to home last night. Did you see it, Pete?" Ned whispered to Peter. "I saw alright… It was cool." Peter said trying to act as if he was disinterested. "I gotta take a camera with me; it could land me the dream journalist job…" Ned continued.

"Then you shouldn't be doing chemistry, you idiot…" Flash said as he walked past both Peter and Ned. "Flash, this doesn't concern you…" Ned replied trying to dismiss him. Flash however did not take kindly to those words and violently tried to grab Ned before Peter intervened.

"Flash! Lay off him." Peter said as he defended Ned. "Get out of my way, Parker. You've been defending this lazy ass piece of work for quite some time. It's no wonder people want to avoid you!" Flash said aggressively. "Hey cut it out, you two!" Mr. Cobbwell said sitting up.

"I don't understand why you can stick up for him when others don't. You've been letting this guy leech off our talents when he has none!" Flash said finally grabbing Peter by the collar. Leaving Peter no choice, he punched Flash right across the face hurling him backwards much to the surprise of some of the students. Ned had a mixture of surprise as well as guilt on his face when Peter knocked Flash to the ground.

"Okay Parker, you're off to the principal's office." Mr. Cobbwell insisted, "Someone take Thompson to the nurse and see if he needs anything." "I'll go with Peter, sir." Ned added in. Mr. Cobbwell stared at Ned for a few seconds before actually agreeing, "Very well then…"

* * *

 _9:25 am Mr. Harrington's office…_

"Oh, Parker… *sigh* you're a good kid as well as an exceptional academic. It's strange you're even in here." Mr. Harrington said covering his face and shaking in disappointment as he typed away on his desktop. "Sir, Flash just attacked Ned. He just attacked him out of petty anger. If I stood out, I'd look like an asshole." Peter explained.

"Funny, cause a couple of days ago and sorry if this sounds stalker-ish… But your friend has been quite neglected for some time. I don't even know what you were even doing at those moments…" Mr. Harrington said. Peter then was hit with a wave of realization, his time making the new Spider-Suit as well as his adventurous crusades have cost him a great deal of connection with his real life.

"Well, you know what? Talk to your friend out there and in fact, you two deserve some air in the yard. Think of it as an early break." Mr. Harrington said surprisingly offering sympathy to Peter. Peter nodded and held his lips back before he left. "Thank you, Mr. Harrington…" Peter said before he closed the door.

Ned was waiting outside with his arms crossed and with a few tears. "Well?" Ned wondered. "Let's go outside, Ned." Peter said helping his friend up.

* * *

 _9:30 am Midtown school front yard…_

Ned and Peter sat on top of a stone ledge and contemplated on what had happened. "Hey I just want to say that I've been a terrible friend as of late…" Peter started. "Terrible? You were always there for me dude. You're not like the other people who are trying so hard to fit in." Ned said.

"Some of those guys aren't too bad. Charlie, Jason, Liz and even Flash all seemed cool with me at first. I guess until I became friends with you…" Peter said. "I guess I'm the terrible one here then… I basically tried relying on you to get through school." Ned answered back, "Then you've been neglecting calls from me."

Peter stayed silent as he knew it could involve him talking about his secret identity. "The thing is… My family life has given me so much stress. I have a mum who's trying her best to help me pull through but she's not doing so well on the account of suffering leukaemia and a nice little sister. Now I'm trying to stay on top to make her proud. " Ned spoke sadly.

"My dad basically cheated on my mum and now he's not in my life. I don't know where he is right now and he doesn't even care about us back. I try so hard to be happy but my brain feels like it could shrink any moment…" Ned said looking emptier than ever. "Ned, is this even true? You never told me any of this before. Who's gonna look after you now?" Peter wondered.

"Since I'm not a little boy anymore, my best chance is probably F.E.A.S.T. It's literally the pinnacle for everyone's survival…" Ned replied. Peter sighed and thought hard about what to tell Ned. "Should I tell him about who I am?" Peter questioned himself, "Is he trustworthy enough?" Peter thought hard until he pushed himself to tell the truth.

"Ned… There's something you need to know." Peter said. "What?" Ned asked. Peter then looked at Ned in the eye before saying anything, "I'm Spider-Man…" A sudden changed tone in expression switched onto Ned with the final emotion being shock.

"What?" Ned asked again. "I am the Spider-Man. I'm the guy who swings around. I'm the guy who fought the Shocker. And the same guy who fought copy-cat Shocker…" Peter reaffirmed before rolling up his sleeve to reveal one of his wristband web shooters, "Want me to show you something?"

Peter then shot out a stream of web which landed on the footpath. "Oh yeah and this…" Peter said as he walked towards the school building and started to wall climb it with his bare hands. "Da..Faq?" Ned said in awe and disbelief as he watched Peter crawl upwards on the brick wall of the building before he dropped down and landed.

"And here's the thing, Ned… I don't share this with anyone. Only with the people I trust. So don't take this away by sharing it with anyone else." Peter explained. "I got it; this thing of yours…. It's too precious to spill out." Ned answered. "My uncle always used to say that with great power comes great responsibility." Peter told Ned.

"Does your uncle know? Do your other friends like Harry and MJ have any idea about this?" Ned asked. "My uncle will never know. And surprisingly, I never told my other friends about this, my Spider-Man days were too slim back then." Peter answered. "Wow… I…. I feel spooked." Ned said putting a hand on near his forehead.

"Hey, you want to come with me somewhere else for the class break?" Peter asked. "The weather's so nice though…" Ned replied pointing to the bright blue skies and such. "Oh I see that but I want you to follow me somewhere." Peter said.

* * *

 _10:15 am class break…_

"Seriously? You told someone your identity?" Phillip asked in a slightly hysterical voice. "It's gonna make things easier for me." Peter assured now that him, Ned and Phillip are all in this together in the quiet study room. "We've been keeping this hidden business for like two and a half years and now for the first time, we revealed it to somebody." Phillip reiterated.

"My best friend…" Peter corrected. Phillip gave out a fake cough, "Anyway… Ned, is it? You're playing a dangerous game here. We've got big guys like Hammerhead and a trained killer on the loose called the Chameleon. I don't know if you want in."

"Me not helping out Spider-Man? There's not a chance that I don't want to help. I'm in the secret club that no one else knows in school." Ned said excitedly. "Don't say his name too much…" Phillip remarked before returning to his laptop. "So I've been kind of been working out connections myself." Peter said as he took out the piece of paper he wrote last night from his bag.

Phillip and Ned both took a look at Peter's scribblings. "A new Godfather who's out to build his empire by taking it from someone else, that's simple." Phillip commented. "With a load of technology that they're using against people." Ned added referring to the Shocker suits.

"Okay, Peter. I'm actually not sure where to go. We can do all those crimes the police out there are handling and not get any progress with our investigation." Phillip said, "Got anything else on your mind?" Peter paused for a moment and remembered one specific detail when he went to Hammerhead's penthouse.

"I read a note at Hammerhead's house and it was talking about medical advice. The last thing I saw was the doctor's name. Not his full name… But his surname. Harrow… Yeah, that's it… Dr. Harrow." Peter replied. "Okay new target acquired…" Phillip said as he tapped away on the keyboard, "Uh… Looks like there are a lot of results." "Just try narrowing it down to anyone around Queens…" Peter requested.

* * *

 _10:30 am, gym class…_

During this time of the day, Peter and Ned spent their in the fitness room with their coach watching over them. Together the two would spend their time on the treadmills due to not being comfortable with anything weight-related.

Ned gently nudged Peter, "Hey, do you have super strength?" Peter looked at him seriously telling him to shut up. "Okay then…" Ned said as he continued walking on his treadmill instead of running. For the rest of school, Ned tried every attempt to ask Peter questions about his time as Spider-Man to which Peter responded with, "Later."

* * *

 _3:15 pm F.E.A.S.T. centre, Queens…_

Peter arrived just in time for his volunteering duties where he was greeted by his recently employed Aunt May at the reception. "Peter, what a nice surprise for you to drop in," May spoke with a smile. "You enjoying it so far, Aunt May?" Peter asked.

"I am loving it. The atmosphere is lovely." Aunt May commented. "I'm glad to hear that." Peter said nodding. "Peter!" Gwen called out walking up with a smile. "Hey Gwen," Peter waved as she walked up. "Hello, Ms. Parker." Gwen added acknowledging May's presence.

"Anything new today, Gwen?" Peter asked. "This time we have more than the kitchen. We have to space things here a lot more today. Like make the beds and clean any messes." Gwen explained. "And I'll be there to help too." May said.

"Also Mr. Li is out of office for today. He said he needs to discuss work with the other F.E.A.S.T. managers." Gwen noted, "Okay, Parker come along." Before Peter could follow, Aunt May said a few words to him.

"She seems like a nice girl, are you dating her Peter?" May wondered. "Oh come on, Aunt May… She's just someone who goes to the same school with me." Peter deflected. "If you want to, I'm sure you'll find something special if you get to know her on a personal level. I think it'd be nice if you have someone meaningful in your life again." Said May in reference to Mary Jane.

Peter chuckled before following Gwen into the hall, there were boxes of bed sheets and mattresses to open and unpack for today. "So Gwen, are you doing okay?" Peter asked as he helped with the unboxing "I'm fine. My family life is stable other than the fact; my dad who is a police captain is pretty busy with work now that a string of crime waves have been doubling. He came home the other night telling us about Spider-Man." Gwen answered taking out stacks of blankets and pillows.

"What about him? Do you like Spider-Man?" Peter asked in curiosity. "I think he's doing a lovely job trying to protect the city despite the property damage. Considering how troublesome it has been since we have guys like the Shocker roaming around our streets." Gwen answered again.

"Yeah I agree I just don't know how else the police force alone can deal with the likes of Shocker." Peter said casually. "Have you ever seen him before?" Gwen asked. "Uh… Once, maybe twice. That fight with Kangaroo, the fake Shocker was so close to home." Peter said. "The Kangaroo? What?" Gwen wondered as she opened another box.

"Yeah… I heard the guy beneath the suit was an Australian..." Peter mumbled nervously realising he might have arose suspicion. "I guess you were there then and that's a funny name as well." Gwen replied with a laugh, "I guess that's why you aced that English test?"

"You mean by creativity? Yeah, sure…" Peter replied. "So, I've been thinking. Who are your friends these days now that MJ is out of your life? What do you do besides studying and this?" Gwen asked, "Sorry if these sound rude." "Me? I hang out with Ned and we have a lot of camaraderie when it comes to playing games or you know… Being friends? And in case, you were wondering… I'm dating anyone right now." Peter explained.

"I'm sorry to hear with you and Ned today from Flash. I hope its okay. Also dating? Wow… Please tell me, you and MJ left on a good note. She used to tell me a lot about you." Gwen told Peter. Peter felt himself blush a little as he got out the last mattress and pillow out of the box. May then walked in to check on the two.

"Wonderful… People will be ready to sleep tight today." May said clasping her hands together. Peter picked up his phone briefly and saw that Phillip had sent him a message, 'Found a source'. "Uh, excuse me you two… I need to go somewhere private. I need to get something from Ned. Yeah… That's right." Peter excused as he rushed off.

"Uh, does he always pull that off?" Gwen asked. "You aren't the first girl he's done this to you…" May replied back. Outside of the F.E.A.S.T. centre, Peter dialled Phillip back, "Hey what's up?" "Just found your source I think. Do you mind heading back to Middle Village?" Phillip asked.

* * *

 _4:05 pm 77_ _th_ _Avenue, Middle Village…_

"This gonna be considered home invasion if you're wrong, Phil…" Peter said suited up on top of a roof. "Private GP. Charged with illegal procedures in the past and you mentioned about his name when you visited Hammerhead." Phil said on the phone.

"You got this, Pete." Ned's voice came in. "Ned? Phil, where did he come from?" Peter asked. "He honestly just wanted to come to my place and pretend we're friends." Phillip said. "We are friends, are we?" Ned asked. "If you do something useful then maybe I will give you a cookie." Phillip spoke back.

"Okay, talk to you later guys, I gotta climb through the chimney…" Peter said as he turned off his phone and slipped into the chimney. As Peter climbed through, he made a gentle thud against the soot on his feet before finding himself in the living room.

Instantly, Peter heard someone coming downstairs and made an effort to hide. He found the coffee table and slid down underneath it. A bald man with reddish hair, plain clothes and glasses walked in and sat down on the sofa with a bottle of apple cider. Before he could take a sip, Peter shot out an electric web at the bottle shattering it to pieces with the liquid spilling on the man's pants.

The man freaked out a little before Peter did his best intimidating voice and jumped on top of the coffee table, "Hello Doctor, don't drink too much." The man was Dr. Jonas Harrow, the man behind Hammerhead's forehead surgery.

"Spider-Man?! What are you doing in my house?" Jonas asked petrified. "Hey relax," Peter said as he stuck Jonas to the sofa with his webs, "We need to talk about your patient." "What patient? I treated a lot of people in the past…" Jonas said, "Don't hurt me."

"Really? Does putting a big chunk of metal into one of your patients really help out?" Peter asked. "Mr. Cavallaro? Of course, it does. Vibranium is powerful stuff…" Jonas explained. "Did you know it can make weapons as well?" Peter asked leaning his head in front of the nervous doctor.

"You know of the Chameleon right?" Peter asked again with his eye lens squinted. "Oh, I know of him alright. Hammerhead could send that guy into my house disguised as a mailman and I'd be dead…" Jonas said with a bit of cold sweat. "He's not working for him anymore… So, I'm gonna ask about where you get your vibranium?" Peter asked once more.

"I can't give away the secret location of my… Oh god!" Jonas screamed as Peter bended his left thumb with his super strength. "I'm not the kind of guy who wants to break every criminal to achieve what I want. The problem is… I'm desperate. I'd hang you in the air with your criminal record on your head and let you stay there for hours until the cops come. I'm not always friendly, Jonas." Peter said in his most threatening manner.

"Argh… Okay, if it means that much to you then I can tell you," Jonas said in a desperate manner, "Please don't rip my fingers off, I need them for my work…" "It's not legal work and it's also lacking in morals. Okay, now tell me about where you get the vibranium. Mr. H would appreciate me if I stopped a bunch of guys from stealing some powerful metal." Peter insisted.

"Okay… There's a place at the JFK airport where I get my stuff on an airline." Jonas blurted out. "Which airline and where?" Peter asked while holding onto one of Jonas's pinkie. "A cargo air service from Wakanda. I mean where else would I get the best pure raw vibranium?" Jonas asked Peter.

Peter then let go of Jonas's pinkie and thought to himself, "Would Chameleon really go as far as attacking an airport for resources? I mean that's possible, you start small before you hit the big targets."

"You happy with your findings, Spider-Man? Or is there something else you want to beat out of me?" Jonas questioned. "I think they make sense, thank you for your cooperation…" Peter replied before turning around to leave via the chimney. "Spider-Man, before you go…" Jonas said while still being bound to the sofa. Peter took one last look at Jonas who all of a sudden had an evil smile.

"You're not going off the hook easily when you're taking on traitors of Hammerhead. You're gonna find yourself screwed over and finished once and for all." Jonas threatened. "Lame threat, you think I really trust him?" Peter said before he climbed back into the chimney from where he entered.

As Peter got out, he contacted Phillip about the new information, "Hey, can I hitch a ride to JFK airport? It's important and I can't web swing all the way."

* * *

 _5:00 pm Road to JFK Airport…_

"You're lucky you remember things, Peter." Phillip said as he drove his parent's sedan down the highway. "Well technically I had stuff written down beforehand." Peter said as he was seated at the backseat of the car still in his costume. "We're not actually boarding a plane right?" Ned asked who was seated next to Phillip.

"No… Maybe. It could be the same thing Tom Cruise did in Mission Impossible 5." Peter said as he looked out the window. "Vibranium in Queens is a pretty big thing to worry about," Phillip said, "No wonder Hammerhead's head is bulging large."

"Plane from Wakanda is expected to arrive around 7:30 pm tonight." Peter said checking his phone for flight details. "OK, I want to ask but has anyone ever been to Wakanda for holidays?" Ned curiously asked. "No, only special people get into that place because of the precious resources there. They're still not as open to the world yet." Philip answered, "Who knows what is going on in their country."

"Okay, turn left." Ned said looking at the GPS attached on the car window. Phillip made the turn and followed the road sign instructions until he drove his car to a nearby car park. "OK Peter, this is our stop." Phillip said stopping the sedan. "There's still a lot of time before that plane. Think I can just chill out?" Peter asked.

For an hour and so, Peter spent his time in the car playing games on his phone as well as snacking on things Phillip had kept beneath the seats. Ned spent the hours trying to ask Peter questions about his previous endeavours as Spider-Man. "I've met Herman before he put on the suit. He's really no different." Peter said.

Once 6:45 pm had been reached, the downtime was over. "Okay, I think I better swing by." Peter said as he opened the car door carefully in case someone else was around. "Wait..." Ned said to Peter. "What?" Peter replied back. "I think you want to carry this instead." Ned said handing over a small device.

"What's this?" Peter asked looking at the device funny. "It's a wireless earpiece that I have with me. I thought it's easier if you just use this for talking instead for your phone." Ned explained, "Plug it in." Peter lifted his mask a little and slipped the device into his left ear.

"Can you hear me?" Ned asked taking out a small microphone. "Oh geez…" Peter answered as he heard Ned's voice before looking at his phone. "Crap, it's gonna run out. Hey Phil, can I just leave my phone here, it's gonna die soon." Peter requested. "Sure, just leave it and go…" Phillip said before Peter said "Thanks."

* * *

 _6:55 pm JFK Airport…_

For Peter perching on top of the terminal building was larger than life for him as different planes landed and left above him. "Hey it's pretty windy where I am right now." Peter commented to both Phillip and Ned with the earpiece, "And colder than usual." Peter then started shivering and embraced himself to keep warm.

"Well, of course. It sounds like you're in Greenland or something." Phillip said to him. "Okay, you know what? I'm gonna turn this earpiece off for now. By the way, thanks Ned. This really is something that I should have added." Peter said before turning communication off.

"Oh man, I'm gonna get frost bite." Peter said as he looked for a place of cover. Just as he was about to do so, he felt his 'Spidey-sense' go off which lead him to track down a group of men dressed in airport uniform who were waiting around the airport park.

"Vibranium? Can you believe it? We're actually taking some of Hammerhead's medicine supply." One man said. "He deserves it. The more of this we steal from him, the more we can use to create some good shit." Another said.

Suddenly, the men were caught in webs by a web bomb thrown by Peter as he jumped down the terminal building to beat them. "Hey guys, you know the terminal is inside not outside if you want to get in a plane." Peter joked before going to town with them.

After the men endured a number of punches and kicks from Peter, the real deal came for him. Shocker busted out of the back of a van nearby with determination to beat Peter. "Oh Herman, finally we meet again. I honestly missed you, dude." Peter said noting new design details on Herman's mask with the human eyes being replaced with mechanical eye pieces.

"I'm not afraid of you anymore!" Herman shouted as he started to shoot out air blasts at Peter. Peter as usual dodged the blasts but noted that the range of the blasts seems to have expanded which knocked many nearby objects including vehicles.

This also drew the attention of the workers at the airport as they scrambled away from the destruction that is happening. "I love the new suit, Herman! Especially the eyes, that really sells your loss of humanity! I want to know if you love mine." Peter said as Herman furiously kept shooting blasts.

Once Herman got tired, Peter took the chance to take down Herman and attempted to himself at him using his web. But before he could take the chance, he felt himself being lifted into the air by someone at a fast pace.

Peter soon realised that someone in an advanced suit was lifting him into the air where Peter felt the terror of heights on him. Upon seeing the person in the suit, he saw that the mask looked like it had compound insect eyes that were staring at him. The suit also had jet-pack wings which reminded Peter of a Kamen Rider.

"Hello, Spider-Man. You ready for the ride of your life?" The suit man asked before flying him down and crashing into the terminal building. Peter felt the speed of the flight as he and the man zipped past civilians with Peter trying to regain control as they crashed through pillars as well as food stands.

Peter finally gained the strength to use an electrical web to shock his attacker under the tip of his helmet which forced him to let Peter go. Peter landed heavily on the ground and groaned in pain as he tried to stand up again.

The man with the compound insect eyes landed right in front of him and laughed, "Feeling the adrenaline yet?" Peter stood his ground and then realised that his suit has incurred some pretty heavy damage with tears and such. "There's only one bug-costumed guy in town and…" But before Peter could stop talking, a gust of wind hit him where he stood.

Another man in a suit appeared this time levitating himself with the air on both his hands and feet outside of a broken window. The man seemed to have gauntlets that looked like wind turbines and blasted people with gusts of air rather than shock waves.

"You're outmatched, Spider!" The man shouted in a French accent. Peter attempted to comprehend what was even happening, "Am I hallucinating?" "Bloody hell, I'm late." Another voice came in and Peter soon recognised it was Frank Oliver a.k.a. Kangaroo who bounced up from the elevator in the same suit as before only this time without his red mask.

"Seriously? How many guys in suits are there?" Peter said as he was surrounded by the three of them. The civilians around them have pretty much ran away save for a few who were slow. "Hey Kangaroo, you didn't tell me there were more Herman palette swaps than before." Peter said again.

"Don't be quippy, you chump. We've got a lot more coming your way…" Kangaroo replied. Right before Peter had another line to say, a burst of electricity shot down from the ceiling in front of Peter with the rubble hitting him.

A man in another suit stood in front of Peter with his suit looking rubbery and heavily padded. "Oh man, uh… Your costume looks kind of ridiculous than the rest." Peter said before getting up. "You'll be surprised." The man said. Peter then tried punching the man before a voltage of electricity hit him.

Slumping onto the ground from all the damage, Peter watched as the four of them encircled him looking eager to finish him off. Peter then felt a fifth person grab his body to which he realised it was Herman himself who picked up his body and slammed it. Eventually Herman started beating Peter right at his face ground pounding him until he stopped.

Peter felt something he never felt before which was the feeling that he was about to die. Kangaroo who didn't get a chance to do anything yet then jumped and stomped on Peter's body making a few of his bones crack. Five enemies with at least three of them being new have finally brought Spider-Man to mercy.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	5. Identity on the Line

SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 5)

 _7:05 pm JFK Airport…_

Peter lay beat beneath his suit as Herman picked him up with the other villains watching. "Come on then, finish the guy off…" Kangaroo said impatiently. Herman looked at the seemingly lifeless body of Peter and wanted to make sure that the finisher to Peter was stylish.

"Hey, leave him alone!" An airport janitor who didn't leave shouted from afar which drew away their attention. The villains looked at each other at first before Kangaroo jumped up and landed right in front of him. "Leave him alone? Why don't ya leave us alone? Smartass…" Kangaroo threatened.

The janitor sprayed mould remover onto Kangaroo's face and punched him. The man with the bug-like suit laughed at Kangaroo getting hit by a random civilian. "Yeah laugh that one off, Dung Beetle!" Kangaroo said using his right hand to cover his eyes while his left hand raised a middle finger.

"It's just Beetle!" The man with the bug costume called out. Beetle felt agitated at Kangaroo's vulgar mannerisms that his wings shook like actual bug wings. "Gentlemen, spare ze conflict… We have much more to worry about." The man with the wind turbine gauntlets shouted in his French accent.

"André's right… We have to collect that vibranium." The man in the electrical wet suit said, "Don't forget why we're here." "But we have Spider-Man here clinging to his life…" Beetle said in a raspy voice. "Make it quick, Shocker. Finish the little bugger off. While I finish this idiot in front of me." Kangaroo said turning his attention to the janitor who was standing his ground.

Herman looked at Peter once again and charged up his gauntlets in attempt to finish him for good. Suddenly Herman heard his earpiece call out to him. "Herman, mobilise and get ready to pick up the vibranium…" Chameleon's voice said to him.

"We have Spider-Man in our grasp." Herman replied back. "If so then bring him to me. There's something I need to know about him." Chameleon answered back. "But you said to kill him…" Herman reminded. "Change of plan… Bring him to me in one piece and then we can talk about killing…" Chameleon instructed.

Herman then let go of Peter's head leaving him lying on the ground again. "Beetle! Take him back to Chameleon now!" Herman called out. "All mine!" Beetle answered as he swooped to take Peter into the air again. This time, Beetle shattered the glass by punching with his mechanical gauntlets while holding onto Peter and flying away. As this was happening, Kangaroo proceeded to beat the janitor with his electrical suit companion spraying sparks of electricity to finish him off.

* * *

 _7:15 pm Outside of JFK airport…_

"So how long does Peter usually take?" Ned wondered. "I honestly don't know. It's actually the first time he had to do something like this." Phillip answered back while holding onto the steering wheel. "Is he actually in trouble?" Ned asked.

Phillip remained silent until he noticed waves of people in his view carrying luggage and bags with them. "That's a lot of arrivals unless…" Phillip thought fearing the worst. "Does this mean we go into the danger?" Ned wondered. Phillip thought for a second until he made his decision.

"I'd feel like an asshole if he's trapped there…" Phillip said as he got out of the car. "Hey, wait up!" Ned said doing the same. "If you're willing to die with me then great…" Phillip sarcastically noted.

* * *

 _7:20 pm JFK Airport…_

Herman and his crew waited outside the park for the plane to pick up the vibranium. "Keep your eyes peeled for that plane," The man in the electrical wet suit replied, "The sky is getting dark and cloudy."

"If only Beetle was here, we might have a chance to look up into the sky …" Kangaroo grumbled, "Hey Cyclone! The plane's supposta fly from northwest of its own continent. Which way we looking at?"

"Patience, Frank… My googles will determine ze location…" The man with the French accent assured. Cyclone used his suit googles to scan wind direction to determine the plane's location. "I see it! There's ze a light in de sky and it's getting closer!"

"Excellent," The man in the electrical suit replied, "We finally got what we need without Spider-Man stopping us." "Yeah, the web-head can't take on all of us, eh? He'd had it coming…" Kangaroo smiled feeling smug. "Gentlemen! I'm afraid ze plane landing is coming in too fast!" Cyclone informed reading through his googles.

"Crikey! We must have spooked everyone in the terminal that even people in the control tower must have got up and left." Kangaroo commented. "That's impossible if their job is to make sure every plane lands safely!" The electrical suited man replied.

"I have a plan; I will use my gauntlets to slow it down. Edward, you help me with carrying ze plane. If it's coming too close, then Herman and Frank will try halting it by ze wheel." Cyclone proposed. Edward who had his electrical abilities agreed and prepared to help with the landing.

The plane came in fast with pilots doing their best to determine where to land safely. Cyclone levitated himself up and focused on generating gusts of winds that rival the amount of force the plane was coming down with.

As the plane closed in, Edward shot out jolts of electricity to create a physical force that held onto the tail side of the plane to balance out the force without burning the engine too much. "Don't blow up the treasure with it…" Kangaroo said as he donned his red mask.

As Cyclone and Edward respectively tried to balance the plane, Herman and Kangaroo got ready to face the landing wheel that was about to appear and made sure their gauntlets can push back the force when it lands.

Together the four of them made the plane land smoothly than it could have happened if they didn't plan to do anything. The plane tipped over sideways a little to the direction of Cyclone and Edward who made sure that they weren't crushed by the aircraft as it landed.

A part of the wing broke off as the plane landed and skidded across the ground for a little. While some inanimate objects were knocked out, no one was really injured considering that everyone needed to be evacuated as soon as they made themselves known from their fight with Spider-Man.

"Stuck the landing…" Kangaroo said proudly as the plane stopped moving. "Get a move on…" Herman said as he walking his to the cargo opening of the plane. "Hey, finally you spoke…" Kangaroo noted considering that Herman was supposed to lead.

As the back of the plane got torn open, Herman and the others found secure metal boxes with labels that say, 'Produced in Wakanda' "This has to be it…" Edward said seeing as how most of Wakanda's products are vibranium. Herman walked over to one box and punched a hole into it exposing the shiny silver-like metal in bar forms. "Grab as many as you can." Herman instructed holding one fine bar.

* * *

 _7:50 pm Chameleon's hideout…_

Peter recovered a little from the beat down he had with his new adversaries and woke up to the shining white light of a lamp above him. He heard the melody of a woman singing in Russian on the radio that carried over a sad tune. Peter's mask still draped over his head as he looked around to find he is tied up to a chair by strings of synthetic rope around his hands and feet.

"A basement?" Peter looked around at his surroundings and saw all sorts of strange things. He saw latex face masks of different individuals draped over human head sculptures that are often seen in fashion stores on a table. A 3-D printer was the next thing; a wardrobe and other things that make sense for an impersonator like Chameleon.

Peter's 'Spidey-sense' tingled as he heard footsteps come down from the staircase and tried to get himself out of the rope but instead fell hard from the chair. A man with brown hair in a blue shirt and black pants came down to see him.

"You okay there?" The man asked Peter whose face was sideways on the floor. "Who's asking?" Peter replied. The man lifted Peter from the ground and got him back to the original position he woke up in. "So, the last time I was conscious, I was at an airport where I met some pretty crazy dudes..." Peter said, "Is this like… The security office? Did my luggage have something illegal?"

"You're a funny guy…" The man before he peeled the fake face mask off his head, "Are you laughing now?" In that instant, Peter soon recognised who he was. "Chameleon…" Peter answered. "My reputational name, yes…" Chameleon said in a generous manner.

"So you're the psychopath Hammerhead hired. That's until you decided to quit your job and tried to be the next Don Corleone." Peter said to him. "A psychopath?" Chameleon wondered and raised an eye, "I killed with reason." "Yeah I know, so you could steal their faces and get away with it…" Peter said back with disgust.

"There's so much I can tell that you have no idea about…" Chameleon said turning off the radio. "Enlighten me if you're the kind of guy I have to sympathise with…" Peter answered back. Chameleon gave a hearty laugh before he started talking.

" _I came from the region of Krasnoyarsk Krai. A nice big piece of land surrounding by forests and if we're lucky, we get so close to seeing the top of the world up north through the sea. The only thing ugly was the way I looked when I was born. But my parents loved me and cared for me as we lived in our private sanctuary. Life seemed good."_

" _However there were people who unjustly called my family thieves in belief we cheated our way through the system to obtain wealth and we lost it all. My father's own land had to be shared with others and something he paid the price for. My mother and I had no choice but to go elsewhere."_

" _We left in sadness and anger over the loss of our fortune but it was the injustice in our country that I think was to blame. We made it to Volgograd and it was the first time I was close to people. My mother worked as a servant to an aristocrat family where I even made friends with the son there."_

" _My mother unfortunately was not used to stress and grew sick from the mistreatment of the family there as the amount of servants to them were disposable. On the other side, people never made it easy for how I looked. So I grew up with resentment but I always remember what my mother says to me, "Dmitri, you're a beautiful angel inside…"_

" _I took the opportunity to study the people around him and ask myself questions about acceptance. I learnt from these people and I got real close in spite of their disgust towards me. That's when I learnt and took my chance to be just like them."_

" _The first victims relieved me of my problems and then I took it out on the rest. I finally think I know what my mother means. I should pass my judgement onto those who can't see me for who I was and take back what was stolen from me. But perhaps I will never get that back."_

" _It wasn't until I was trained as a spy for my country that I used impersonation skills as a way of extracting as much information from enemies and my reputation as the 'Chameleon' was born. Though I made an impression to people, I know I want more than just that."_

" _So I moved away and I began meeting many people. Sadly, I was unsuccessful at being a normal man that I had to employ my talents for something else. I couldn't go back to Russia and the only way, my talents would help me out was through organised crime."_

" _I truly related to Hammerhead at first but the fool took it upon himself to never fulfil promises for people he'd hire. I also learnt from his ugly forehead to be my own man and take things for myself. And you Spider-Man are the key…"_

The entire backstory nearly made Peter fall asleep until he kept himself awake to judge what Chameleon said. "You may be a sorry soul but you clearly went off the rails by misinterpreting what your mother said. Also explains the pale white face covering." Peter honestly answered.

"That suit of yours is really interesting…" Chameleon noted ignoring Peter's remark and remembering the last time he met Peter as a burglar. "You like it? I made it with love…" Peter said in the face of death, "So what's up with the guys running around in suits all of sudden?"

"It's far better than guns…" Chameleon said, "I only trust the competent ones to wear them though." "Didn't seem like you're doing your best with some of them at least… I mean the one with the red Shocker knockoff suit was hopping mad…" Peter pointed out.

"Silence!" Chameleon yelled, "Fist thing I have to ask is, how is your left arm?" "My left arm? Uh…" Peter then realised Chameleon was talking about the encounter between him and Chameleon disguised as a burglar. "That was you…" Peter answered in surprise.

Chameleon walked up to one of his masks on the table and put it over his head to acknowledge Peter was correct. "Eh… Speaking of which, I'm sure you're not going to fool everyone. I mean… What if you say you want to look like a woman or a child? Do you eh…" Peter then laughed at the thought.

To prove Peter's point wrong, Chameleon looked at his wrist watch and rotated a red arrow before pressing it. A holographic image of a casually-dressed woman overlapped him with the distortion being barely visible before changing back.

"Some of your questions may be a work in progress…" Chameleon replied as he pulled out a plasma knife, "But I fear when I unmask you, I'm going to learn more about you…" Peter then looked fearfully at the searing blade and tried to get away from the deadly weapon. Chameleon however grabbed Peter by the face with the palm of his and ripped the mask off swiftly like he does with his other masks.

Chameleon's face turned to surprise when he saw that Spider-Man's real face was that of a teenage boy. Peter tried looking down to avoid giving away his identity any further but that was a futile attempt as Chameleon forced his face upwards.

"Spider-Man is just a little boy?" Chameleon said in surprise as he tried to process the discovery. "Please, I'm sorry…I wanna go home…" Peter said while trying to fake sob. Chameleon examined the Spider-Man mask in fascination and even tried wearing it. Eventually he threw the mask down the floor.

"This is child's craft…" Chameleon retorted. "Well, yeah… Everything I make is super easy to make." Peter pretended to agree. Unimpressed, Chameleon grabbed Peter by the throat, "Whoever you are…I'm just gonna kill you now and then present your corpse to the police."

As the plasma blade burned with intensity, Peter braced himself for the blade before flipping himself and Chameleon over while still being seated on the chair. "Surprised you can still move even after being tied down…" Chameleon said as he tried to pick up the knife.

"Yeah…" Peter said as he prepared for Chameleon's attack again. Just as he predicted, Chameleon came back swinging to which Peter responded by swinging the chair at him. The chair broke which allowed Peter to free himself of his binds as well.

Chameleon rubbed his face as Peter undid his feet straps as well. "This feels like the first time we met again, right?" Peter asked while smiling. "You imbecile, I know what you are behind that mask now. I'll never forget that face…" Chameleon responded. "You don't know me…" Peter responded back before shooting a web at Chameleon.

Chameleon deflected the web with his plasma knife and viciously tried to attack him. Peter who despite being injured by the fight in the airport was determined to not lose and swiftly dodged the incoming blade. He picked up his mask on the floor and ran to the staircase like a child who was being chased by an angry parent. Chameleon then threw a smoke bomb in Peter's direction only to make it easier for Peter to escape as he opened the basement door.

"Okay, which way?" Peter asked as he put on the mask and searched for outside doors. He then spotted the front door of the house and lunged forward breaking it down. In panic, Peter blindly started swinging away just to escape the Chameleon.

Frustrated, Chameleon threw his plasma knife down but calmed himself down afterwards. He at least now knew who Spider-Man was behind his mask as well as figure out how crafty the web-slinger can be. He walked back into his house with plans to uncover more about his enemy.

* * *

 _8:45 pm Forest Hills Police Precinct…_

Ned and Phillip found themselves in a lot of trouble as they caught by FBI in the airport and taken back to Forest Hills for questioning. In the interview room, Captain Stacy walked in with a laptop and sat in front of the two boys.

"Gentlemen…" Captain Stacy sighed, "Welcome to a waste of my time." Captain Stacy logged onto his laptop and began to write up a new document. "Officer, we were trying to save somebody." Phillip tried to explain.

"I don't care what you were trying to do. But logic dictates that you never run back into anything dangerous, be it a fire or a terrorist attack. You're all getting fined for this." Captain Stacy said as he madly typed down their names, "Queens is in chaos now. We have lunatics in suits running around; a potential gang war; the FBI being involved and now we've got messages from Oscorp claiming their property has been stolen."

"I've got some pictures if you want, officer." Ned spoke as he took a camera off his belt buckle and placed it on the table. Captain Stacy grabbed the camera and looked through the pictures taken. The photo consists of the five costumed criminals working for Chameleon; Shocker, Beetle, Kangaroo, Cyclone and a yet to be identified member named Edward.

"Photographic evidence…" Captain Stacy responded, "I recognise some of these people. Speaking of which, do you kids know any of these five?" Captain Stacy asked showing descriptions of five suspects.

 _Abner Jenkins (34) - A former mechanic working at Baxter Scientifics who worked on special aerial prototypes in hopes he could sell it for different purposes like travel or industrial work. His projects however received criticism over safety issues and lacked funding which caused him to lose his job. He has since used his ideas to perform petty crimes under the alias of 'Beetle'._

 _André Gerard (36) - A former trainee at NATO from Lyon, France who was aspiring to be an aerospace engineer. This job meant too much to him and his failure to obtain it has resulted in him lashing out his rage. Jailed for 6 months before being released and employed in Maggia business gaining a position in engineering equipment for them._

 _Frank Oliver (43) - A long-time criminal from Sydney, Australia who has committed multiple offences back in his home country. He came to New York hoping to restart his life, yet his impulses drive him back into his criminal ways. Dressed as a red Shocker look-alike, this criminal has been apprehended by Spider-Man beforehand. However before he was sent back home, he is now on the loose due to the involvement of other suspects._

 _Herman Schultz (35) - A long time criminal around Queens best known for attempting bank robberies. Always had a long history in being apprehended by Spider-Man and is now known by the public as 'The Shocker' due to a suit and gauntlets he wears. Top suspect when it comes to bringing Dmitri Smerdyakov to justice._

 _Unknown fifth suspect (?)- Wears a wet-suit like costume that is capable of generating electricity. First name is supposedly Edward._

"I know the Shocker and Kangaroo." Ned answered. "Uh… Same." Phillip answered. "Ah, you see. That's called public knowledge because Spider-Man fought these guys and everyone knows it." Captain Stacy said to them, "Alright, you know what? Time for both of you to go home while I write a report."

"Wait… The person we were trying to save. It was Spider-Man." Phillip said. "Spider-Man?" Captain Stacy asked as Ned stared blankly at Phillip. "To be fair, I don't know who he actually is… But I can tell you that Spider-Man… He may be in trouble." Phillip answered.

Captain Stacy stared blankly for a brief moment as well before saying a word, "If you say so…I'd have to make sure that every officer I see lowers their gun when they see him." "So…" Phillip stated. "No… That doesn't change anything. I want you two to go home and think about those actions. This is your warning." Captain Stacy insisted, "Now go home."

As the two of them left, Captain Stacy picked up his phone and called home. "Dad?" Gwen asked picking up the phone. "Gwen, tell your mother to get the meatloaf roasted in the oven. I'm nearly done with day's work." Captain Stacy requested.

Outside of the precinct, Ned asked Phillip why he revealed they were working with Spider-Man. "It was the best course of action. Of course, it didn't change much but that officer at least felt like he wasn't against us helping Spider-Man. Maybe he sees the good. Which is good." Phillip explained.

Phillip opened up his phone and saw a message from Peter. 'Need help near Willow Lake ASAP.' Peter's message stated. "Crap, if only they didn't take the car away." Phillip said, "My parents are gonna kill me." "At least, it's only in this neighbourhood…" Ned reassured.

* * *

 _8:50 pm Hammerhead penthouse…_

Hammerhead had spent most of his time in house under protection, he knew that Chameleon is targeting him and that he has calculate his plans carefully considering more of his men are turning against him. His solution to stopping the traitor was forming a new alliance with an enemy of his.

"My men will be ready at your disposal…" The voice on the phone said to his ear, "Once this is over, you'll fulfil that promise you made." Hammerhead turned the phone off and sat for a good minute on the table drinking. A shadowy figure next to him appeared and reported some news.

"They've taken full control of your vibranium supply, sir." The man said. "That sneaky bastard… Tell me, how good are the men I hired?" Hammerhead asked. "They're unlike anything else you'd witness. It's hard to explain but they'll work…" The man said again.

Hammerhead nodded, "Carry on with your work, Mr. Lavell. Also try to convince Spider-Man to help us for a while. I need all the arsenal I can get." The man in the shadows then slinked away without a sound.

* * *

 _9:28 pm Willow Lake Playground…_

Ned and Phillip walked near the playground with the streetlamps illuminating their path to Willow Lake itself. Phillip then tried calling Peter as he walked near. But before the phone could be answered, Peter fell down onto the footpath from a tree.

Ned and Phillip were startled at first to see Peter before they relaxed, they realised Peter's suit and as well as himself were damaged pretty bad. "Dude, you look rough…" Ned said as he tried to carry the injured Peter to his feet. "Ow…" Peter said as he clutched the location of his ribcage, "Can we go somewhere else now?"

"I don't have my car anymore… The police took it away." Phillip said, "And my parents are probably throwing a hissy fit at me." "I got a place…" Ned said as he and Phillip held Peter's arms on their shoulders while dragging him across the footpath.

* * *

 _9:45 pm Chameleon's hideout…_

Chameleon was inside his basement working on a new face based on what he remembers on Spider-Man and worked tirelessly to stitch and sculpt the face of the teenager he encountered tonight. Just as he was working, a call from Herman on his earpiece was spoken.

"We have the vibranium at your door." Herman informed his superior. Chameleon walked up the stairs wearing the mask he wore in front of Spider-Man moments ago and opened his door to find a suit less Herman and some bags in front of his doorstep. Opening up one of them with his bare hands, he was pleasantly surprised to see rocks of pure vibranium in front of him.

"Is Spider-Man dead, sir?" Herman asked. Chameleon examined the vibranium that he obtained before answering, "We have some splendid progress today …"

* * *

 _9:55 pm Leeds residence…_

"In there quick…" Ned said opening up the cellar door in his backyard. Opening up the two sides, Ned and Phillip carried Peter into the basement of Ned's house. Ned turned on the lights in the basement and motioned Phillip to place Peter down on the couch.

As Peter was laid down, Peter grabbed his mask off and breathed heavily. "Hang on; I'll go get some things in my house." Ned said and hurried away leaving Peter with Phillip. For a brief moment, Peter could speak with his long-time ally.

"How are you holding?" Phillip asked. Peter's voice was strained as he talked, "They might have shattered some of my ribcage bones and…I'm just bruised and stuff. That's all." Peter said as he tried to hold himself together.

"Phil," Peter said again, "I had a run in with a bunch of suit-wearing lunatics and they beat me. Feels like my days as regular Spider-Man are starting to pass me now." "Take it easy… You're lucky you've survived." Phillip said clasping his friend's hand.

"I didn't just get beat, Phil. I also had a run in with the Chameleon again…" Peter told Phillip. "What? What the hell happened?" Phillip asked. "Maybe one of their dudes carried me over to him. I bet it was the one that looks like a bug." Peter theorised.

"Geez… You're lucky with your powers." Phillip said. "No… I think things are starting to get worse. He knows what I look like now beneath the mask." Peter said back. "Are you serious? Even your name?" Phillip wondered. "No…He hasn't gone that deep yet." Peter said, "I need to be careful. One of these days I could have someone stalking me."

As they talked, Ned came rushing back with a box. "I got some medical supplies. I have more but… I got to keep some for my mum." Ned said as he took out painkillers as well as bandages, "What did I miss?"

"Peter said he ran into the Chameleon after his beat down by his suited men. We have to work more discrete than ever." Phillip explained. "Geez, well then. Uh… Do you have any bright ideas then, Peter?" Ned asked.

"I say get me fixed up. Then we'll work something out from there…" Peter replied. "Is that all? I was thinking… Maybe we should upgrade your stuff." Ned said, "I mean are you still going to able to handle those guys out there like normal?"

"Throw me anything, Ned…" Peter answered, "I'm dying to hear it." "Do you have like thermal vision and other stuff? Like Iron Man?" Ned asked. "I don't have his money, Ned." Peter said. "No, I'm not saying exactly like Iron Man but… Do you have anything else besides the webs? Do you have anything besides the suit?" Ned suggested.

"Finally, you're being useful…" Phillip commented. "Please, I gave Spider-Man his first earplug…" Ned said back. "I mean, yeah. Let's do it… Once I get over my pain." Peter said. As the two helped patch up Peter, Peter asked Ned if he stay here for the night.

"Anything for a good friend…" Ned answered. "Thanks, I'm just gonna tell Aunt May that I'm sleeping over so she doesn't have to know about the crazy stuff that went on today." Peter responded.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	6. The Flip Side

SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 6)

 **NOTE: I'm pretty sure all of us have heard about the recent passing of Stan Lee. Before I start the chapter, I just want to say my condolences to him. Throughout the years, Stan has given us characters who despite their super powers also managed to give us characters with humanity that help inspire us through our lives. Whether it be the message of 'With great power, comes great responsibility' or more, Stan helped make our lives merrier with his work. RIP Stan, thank you for inspiring all of us.**

 _6:00 am Leeds residence…_

Peter woke up feeling a little hung over from last night with only his underpants on and his suit stuffed underneath the couch. Phillip was still asleep as he was sitting on the opposite end of the couch next to Peter in the same clothes he wore yesterday night.

At first, Peter wondered what to do as he covered himself with the blanket given to him by Ned and tried to make out Ned's basement in the dark. He could visualise a table tennis table in the middle of the room with chairs neatly stacked across the other side of the room. A tool shelf could also be seen in the place.

For Peter, he imagined that this was a good place to start a superhero hideout and work discreetly as possible. The basement door suddenly swung open with Ned standing in the basement doorway holding a box. Phillip woke up startled by the light that came in with him.

"Oh hey. You're early…" Ned said followed by his pet calico cat, King. "Uh, is there anything I'm supposed to wear?" Peter wondered. "Don't worry, I got that covered." Ned answered as he opened the box to unveil some old clothes.

"Next time knock on the door when you want to walk in…" Phillip said rubbing his eyes. "You're in my house, so I what please…" Ned replied. Peter quickly put on the clothes and found himself a little unimpressed with his attire. "The shirt's all grey and a little too big for me…" Peter complained.

"Sorry, dude. I'm spending my money elsewhere…" Ned said referring to his family crisis. As soon as Peter realised what Ned was talking about, he forgave him. "New big article from the Bugle," Phillip informed as he picked up his phone flashing at 20% battery.

THE HAMMER IS OUT ON SPIDER-MAN AND THE REST

 _By Christine Everheart_

 _A vicious case of destruction has hit John F. Kennedy Airport yesterday leading to citywide panic in the heart of Queens. At the centre of this cause was Spider-Man attempting to take out a group of men in highly advanced technological suits. Prior to the conflict, the men were performing a heist to obtain vibranium supplies from Wakanda until the situation escalated when the web-slinger arrived._

 _In a surprising quote given to the Bugle, Mr. Joseph Cavallaro also known as the Hammerhead has stated this, "I am announcing my intentions to keep the neighbourhoods of Queens safe, I am willing to put aside my criminal mistakes in order to fight a greater evil that threatens to take hold. I will work with New York's finest and support those threatened."_

 _Despite these words, many are still doubtful over those words given the crime lord's infamous criminal reputation as a man lacking in standards. "We gotta take the risk from him. He does have credibility given his knowledge of the city's underworld." Captain Sebastián Gonzalles from Woodside has commented, "We will be contacting all the expertise necessary with regards to the vibranium crisis."_

 _Oscorp is also now heavily involved after being under scrutiny by the public for poor security measures that have resulted in their confidential suit prototype concepts being hijacked and misused as displayed from the men wearing them. Police have now issued warrants for the capture of the five men wreaking havoc with one unknown who they dub as 'The Superior Foes of Spider-Man'. These men are Herman Schultz, Abner Jenkins, Frank Oliver, André Gerard and one unidentified member. Witnesses who see any suspicious activity should contact 911 immediately._

"Well, looks like we're getting into gang war territory…" Phillip said, "Wonder if Hammerhead can win this one?" "It doesn't matter; we can't let either of them get to an aftermath…" Peter spoke. "So… Uh… Are you guys ready for school?" Ned asked, "We can grab breakfast on the way…"

"Ah, yeah. Sure… You go ahead, Ned." Peter answered as he motioned his friend to leave. King strolled towards the couch and meowed. "Great… We have someone who's bound to know who I am…" Peter noted as he watched the cat sniff the couch for his Spider-suit.

"You think I can leave the suit there?" Peter asked Ned. "I mean sure… But what if something bad happens?" Ned asked back.

* * *

 _8:00 am, Midtown High School…_

The trio walked with egg and bacon muffins in their hand as they walked their way to the school entrance. However unlike the regular days of school, there seemed to be police patrolling the grounds. "Excuse me, officer? What's going on?" Phillip asked one of them.

"We're on the lookout for crazed suit people; you do know the town is paranoid about the attack on JFK last night?" The officer answered, "Just get to class, you kids." Peter looked at Phillip and Ned sideways before they left together for their class.

* * *

 _8:30 am Mr. Harrington's office…_

"Ah, Mr. Kerrington, just in time for the interview. Please, take a seat." Mr. Harrington said greeting a blonde haired man in a suit and tie. "I'm glad to be here, Mr. Harrington. I'm looking forward to it…" Mr. Kerrington said.

"Just call me Roger… As in Roger Harrington. Surely you don't have to address me like a student…" Mr. Harrington said. Mr. Kerrington sat on the chair as instructed and waited for the principal's word. "Came all the way from a private school in Connecticut, huh? What's the decision to come over here?" Mr. Harrington asked.

"Oh, it's actually the fact that I was only contracted to teach there. I thought that maybe the next best step in my career was to work in a more community heavy city like New York. And you know what they say about Queens out of the boroughs?" Mr. Kerrington said with a smile as Mr. Harrington carefully looked at the computer screen.

"I couldn't agree more when you're looking at a town with nice neighbourhoods to take a walk in." Mr. Harrington said as he read the files carefully. Mr. Kerrington laughed, "Yes, I heard there's a really big void to fill in the English department." "Indeed, our school is mostly science-orientated. You'd be surprised at how many science fairs we host at times." Mr. Harrington said.

"I sure hope I can make it more than that…" Mr. Kerrington answered back. "Harold Kerrington, I like the confidence in you. I'm already impressed with the resume you have given me and your referees have nothing but great feedback for you. You ready to come back tomorrow?" Mr. Harrington asked. "Thank you so much, Roger. I'm glad to hear the outcome so fast…" Mr. Kerrington replied.

"Speaking of which, where do you learn that power of persuasion from?" Mr. Harrington wondered. "Oh that? It's my speciality growing up…" Mr. Kerrington answered with a smile.

* * *

 _9:00 am chemistry class…_

"Alright class, remember what the equilibrium constant can help us with…" Mr. Cobbwell said as he wrote the notes on the whiteboard, "It's all going to culminate into one big exam." The bell then rang as the students began to pack up with some of them heading to physical education class.

As Peter got out of class, he looked at his phone and saw a police message sent from Phillip, '10-24; we have an assault from suspect, Abner Jenkins happening near Austin Street. Nearby patrol please respond.' "Hey, Ned. Make some excuse to Miss Murch please… Make up a story that involves me falling down some stairs." Peter requested as he reminded Ned of the injuries he had sustained at JFK airport.

"But who am I going to partner with?" Ned asked, "Plus I don't think she's going to buy that story." "It all make sense when she asks where I got my bruises and cuts from…" Peter said before rushing off. "Augh… Who am I going to find?" Ned wondered gritting his teeth.

Peter made a sprint as he soon as he got out of the school building and avoided the police's attention by swinging on top of a nearby tree without making too much of a sound. He then started to jump and swing while trying to avoid pedestrians that may spot him.

"My suit's in bad shape now… Guess I'll pick up the vintage homemade suit at home…" As Peter said to himself running as fast as he could on the footpath now. Later, Peter made it back to his house breathing heavily before climbing to the window of his room.

Aunt May who is now working at the F.E.A.S.T. centre is not home which gave Peter a larger opening to get back into his room. As he slipped through the window, he walked up to his wardrobe and opened it. Stuck between sheets of clothes in a box, Peter carefully pulled out the suit and clutched it.

"Welcome back, old friend. Wanna meet some new faces?" Peter asked as he suited up. Slipping into the suit gave Peter a fuzzy feeling despite the dustiness of it. "You may not smell great but I owe it to you…" Peter said as he rushed off out of the window.

* * *

 _10:05 am Austin Street…_

Random vehicles had already been turned over with civilians running for cover as Beetle zip zapped around in the air aiming his hand-held repulsion cannon at the police squad "10-10, we need more arsenal…" A police woman shouted to her walkie talkie.

"There ain't nothing worth using against me, blue people…" Beetle warned as he fired a warning shot near the police, "So many of you in front of me and the body count ain't that high yet…" Beetle said looking through his compound eyes.

"Are you done with the bug spray?" Peter asked as he arrived behind Beetle. Beetle's attention was quickly drawn to Peter once again. "The little spider…. You wanna take to the skies again?" Beetle taunted. "Sure, but you're staying on ground this time…" Peter assured him.

Pointing his cannon at Peter, Beetle made one last taunt to him, "Your costume looks downgraded, spider…" "I gotta hand that to you…" Peter said before the cannon blasted a powerful blast that broke chunks of the road apart.

Peter dodged before shooting a web at the cannon and tried to pull it away. The web however broke apart easily much to Peter's surprise. "What?" Peter questioned before Beetle fired another blast knocking Peter back.

Peter hit his back and the pain from both that and his time at the airport kicked in leaving him in a state of pain. Beetle put his feet on the ground and packed away his cannon on the back of his flight pack. "I actually didn't think you'd come out of the daylight… Chameleon wanted to see if you'd come out and play." Beetle said menacingly.

Picking up Peter, Beetle tossed him around like a rag doll until Peter grew more limp. The police fired but Beetle used the back of his flight pack to block the bullets. Even in moments of defeat, Peter summoned the courage to ask Beetle a question, "So what's the vibranium for?"

"It's money worth of stuff. It helps build a thick layer of skin." Beetle vaguely explained as he stomped on Peter. Despite the superhuman strength, Peter struggled immensely at his new costume foe and was prepared to accept his fate as human.

Before Beetle could deal any more damage, someone fired a bullet at Beetle's flight pack which caused a dent on it. Beetle turned away his attention from Peter as more firing happened. A group of masked men marched on one end of the street holding rifles that fired bullets accompanied by a surge of black electrical energy.

Beetle immediately scrambled himself up and flew away like a timid bug as the firing continued. The police squad were told to hold their fire as the men did their job. Peter groaned in pain as he watched the masked men close in.

The men wore black and white masks of different variety that resemble demon faces from Asian folklore and mythology. One of them spoke Mandarin and ordered the rest of the men to surround Peter. The men looked at each other speaking in Mandarin once more before any further action was taken.

One of them walked up to the injured Peter and grabbed him by the arm. Suddenly Peter felt a strange wave of energy pass through to him as his vision went all grey for a brief moment. He then felt the pain in him go away as the man healed him from all of his wounds.

Despite the healing, Peter took time to make himself stand and talk. "Hey, thanks... Whoever you guys are." Peter said. "Be thankful of our master, he has given you our gift to help us rid a cancer in this city…" The man spoke in English. "Chameleon? I mean, I know it sounds like you want to stop him. But… Are you guys killers?" Peter asked.

"No, not just him. Mr. Cavallaro, the man himself must pay for his crimes…" The man said again. "Okay I'm confused… Who exactly does he have on his side then?" Peter asked. "Our master is willing to aid you, Spider-Man. Together we want to help you rid your enemies…" Another masked man spoke.

"I don't know who you guys are but whatever help you want to give… I hope it's positive." Peter answered. The men then started walking away, "Hey, where you guys going?" Peter called as he watched all but one man leave. "We'll be in touch, Spider-Man. One way or another…." The last masked man said before joining his companions to a truck.

"Who are they? Are they a new group of people?" Peter wondered before checking himself, "I feel so much better than I thought I ever be." It was true, Peter felt as if his bruises and cuts all disappeared as if he had been touched by magic. Who ever the men are, Peter prayed that they won't cause too many problems.

* * *

 _10:40 am Midtown High School…_

Peter rushed back in new clothes compared to ones Ned gave him. He was about to face one of the biggest blows in his school life which was missing physical education. Miss Murch, a fit and stern middle-aged woman waited in the hallway looking cross at Peter and screeched, "Parker!"

"Miss Murch… I can explain…" Peter tried to speak. "You don't look as if you fell down the stairs, young man. I'm giving you the detention slip." Miss Murch replied, "Everyone who made it school being sick and all? They sit at the bleachers. No excuses, to room 12A with you…"

Peter saw Ned look at him feeling guilty with other students next to him carrying a variety of expressions. Some stared blankly while some were gossiping. Passing Flash Thompson was the worst, as he snickered with his friends including Liz Allan who were baffled by the decision Peter had made.

As Peter passed by Gwen, he felt a sense of sympathy from her as he walked by. Gwen on the other hand was puzzled, she had heard from Mary Jane in the past that Peter would sometimes pull disappearing acts but never knowing why. The rest of her friends could not help but snicker at the trouble Peter got himself into.

* * *

 _10:45 am class detention…_

Peter sat alone in his designated classroom and placed his head against the desk contemplating on whether or not he should have left class. He wondered if the masked men alone would have been enough to deal with the threat he had encountered today.

The door opened and Mr. Kerrington came in. "Lucky you, sitting in detention alone." He said walking in with a cup of coffee. "Oh hey… What do I call you, sir?" Peter asked. "Mr. Kerrington. Harold Kerrington, I'm one of the new English teachers here…" Mr. Kerrington introduced himself.

"And you are…Peter Parker, am I right?" Mr. Kerrington asked. "That's me. Listen, Mr. Kerrington. I'm not always like this…" Peter explained, "I had other things I had to do." "Such as?" Mr. Kerrington asked. "Uh… The scholarship to Empire State University. Mr. Warren has been reminding me of it." Peter said, "I'm trying to make commitments."

"There's always a time for those things," Mr. Kerrington said as he sat down, "It is quite funny, you had to leave the moment a lunatic by the name 'Beetle' started attacking innocent civilians near Austin Street. Of course….Spider-Man showed up to save the day."

Peter's facial expression changed a little before speaking, "An attack?" Peter pretended to act as if it was a coincidence that Mr. Kerrington brought up the event. "As an English teacher, I know it's important to be aware of daily events." Mr. Kerrington replied.

Peter said nothing as he remained spooked by Mr. Kerrington. Mr. Kerrington looked at Peter with a stern eye before asking, "Tell me, Peter. Are you a good school boy?" "I'd say so… I mean I'm a pretty high achiever around here." Peter replied feeling a little nervous.

Mr. Kerrington nodded before deciding to walk towards Peter's desk. "Yes… Principal Harrington really did tell me about these traits. This isn't the first time he called you out for trouble, right?" Mr. Kerrington questioned. As he walked to Peter, Peter began to feel slightly uncomfortable by him.

"You really should learn from your mistakes…" Mr. Kerrington said before putting a hand on Peter's desk and leaning towards him, "Because you risk a lot of things…." In an instance, the voice's accent had switched to a voice with a slight Russian feel to it.

It was at that moment, Peter's eyes turned into sheer dread as he stared into the teacher's eye. Mr. Kerrington let out a creepy smile as he looked into Peter's eyes. "I knew I find you here…" Thus, Peter confirmed his suspicions that the man who was "Mr. Kerrington" was really another man in disguise.

"Chameleon…" Peter said in a whisper as he began to ventilate. Chameleon let out a chuckle as he drew back and talked, "Yes, it is me." "How did you know who I am?" Peter asked in a state of panic. "Simple… Once I saw your face, the convenience of technology really paved the way. I've been trying to look for a match on who Spider-Man is throughout Queens based on facial recognition." Chameleon explained.

"You really murdered your way through to get this job, huh?" Peter asked again. "Murder?" Chameleon replied, "No… Not this time. There's much more I rather do than take another person's life." "How exactly do you plan on being a crime lord, if you now work here?" Peter questioned.

"Eventually I know my skills will run out here. I made sure everything was set in motion the moment I told Abner to cause some mayhem…" Chameleon explained. "That was a cheap move…" Peter said rolling his eyes. "All the more reason for me to learn who Spider-Man really is…" Chameleon spoke.

"Do not worry," Chameleon said again, "I will arrange a stalemate to keep things normal." "Why?" Peter asked. Chameleon leaned forward with menace before making his threat, "If Spider-Man decides to interfere in my business constantly. I will have to make sure that the people close to him pay for his deeds. If Spider-Man learns to stay out of things beyond his control, then he can be spared of consequence."

Peter had nothing to say but listen to more of Chameleon's words. "Peter… I believe you're a good boy and you don't deserve such suffering. Your life must be good with the city you live in and the people you care about. Compared to me, an outcast who is using his talents to get more into control." Chameleon said.

"There's a lot more about me that defines who I am and I won't share it with someone like you." Peter said. "If it does mean a lot to you… Then I respect that. I understand and I will not judge you for it," Chameleon said with noble intention, "What do you want to do now, Peter?"

Peter paused for a moment before he found the courage, "I just want things to be normal. I want the best for whatever's possible for the two of us." "Fair…" Chameleon said, "Peter… Why don't you leave the class now? You should be studying right now." Peter got up and left but not without looking Chameleon in the eye. "I hope you learnt something today…" Chameleon said.

* * *

 _2:05 pm class break, quiet library study room…_

"No more, we're never doing it here again." Peter said to Phillip. "Dude, I'm scared shitless…" Phillip said shaking his head and closing his laptop. "He has the power to ruin everything if we don't play it right. The only good thing is that he won't act yet so long as I don't…" Peter explained further.

"Well…. One of these days, you're going to have to figure out crime without people like me, eh?" Phillip explained, "And all my tech support will be up to you." "To keep things short, there's a gang war brewing. I saw some new faces in demon masks. Do a bit of digging and from now on, I'm gonna need to find something else for class break," Peter said, "Man, now I have to decide what to do with Ned and the others."

* * *

 _3:05 pm F.E.A.S.T. Centre, Queens…_

Peter arrived at the F.E.A.S.T. centre earlier than usual and saw Martin Li chatting with a bunch of people. Martin waved goodbye to them before he saw Peter and talked to him, "Peter, you're here earlier I would have expected…"

"Yeah, class really ended quite soon for today. How is everything going here?" Peter asked. "To be honest, it's been… Quite stressful. Queens isn't as wonderful as it used to be thanks to the fights we're seeing between Hammerhead and a supposed 'old friend' of his." Martin replied.

"So is it the usual?" Peter asked wondering about his roles this time around. "Yes, the usual… I also want to say that this may be the first time I need to set up another F.E.A.S.T. shelter around town. More like a backup office for me, given the circumstances. There's an old soup kitchen in the Chinatown of Flushing that I'm… Planning to renovate." Martin explained.

"That's great… I mean…It's quite a bit of hard work…" Peter replied trying to comprehend how Martin is feeling. "It is…. Well, I guess I'll leave you to it. Your aunt is doing fabulous paper work by the way. Why don't you drop by the same office that I talked with you in?" Martin said before patting Peter on the shoulder and leaving.

As Martin left, Peter had a strange feeling inside of him that had been stirred up and could not understand what it was. Nevertheless, it was harmless and Peter moved along as normal. He walked up the stairs and into the office that Martin usually works in.

Knocking on the door, Peter walked in to see Aunt May sitting in front of desk with papers next to her alongside a few of Martin's belongings such as a picture of him when he was little. "Hey Aunt May, I see you're working up the ladder…" Peter said.

"Peter, before I say anything else. I want to address the fact that you were absent in physical education class today. Mr. Harrington had to ring me up about it." Aunt May said. "I'm sorry… I was well… In the bathroom for some time." Peter said with a sheepish smile. "Oh please… Anyway, please don't stir too much trouble. Ben and I both know you're better than this." May replied.

"OK Aunt May, so… Uh… Do you know what's happening with Martin?" Peter asked. "I think it's clear that the latest influx of people depending on this organisation has caught up to him. I used to hear stories about how organised crime affects the lives of people. People can end up in debt and no one understands why the law doesn't fix this…" May explained.

"I see what you mean… Is there perhaps something new I'm going to do today?" Peter asked. "Oh, the kitchen, cleaning and the rest. Oh and… Do you perhaps want to get to know Gwen a little better?" May asked teasingly. "What? Eh… We're not even…" Peter said.

May laughed before she spoke, "Peter, she and I had been talking. She's been 'fascinated' with you apparently. Now I don't know the depths with it… But considering that she knows MJ and all. She want to know you a little better based on that connection." "I see what you mean, Aunt May. I'll see where it leads to…" Peter said before he left.

Peter found Gwen preparing afternoon snacks in the kitchen as chopped up fresh pieces of fruit into salad boxes. "Hey tiger, how was school today?" Gwen asked. "Come on, I swear… It was only a small bathroom break that got me into trouble." Peter insisted. "MJ had told me that you pull vanishing acts at certain places… Like you have superhero duties or something?" Gwen said.

"That's crazy… People like Iron Man or Captain America don't need to pull the vanishing act. Everyone knows their job." Peter said as he put on his gloves. "I mean the likes of Spider-Man and so. My dad did point out that Spider-Man's voice is a teenage boy's meaning that Spider-Man might be a guy who comes from a high school and gets into a lot of trouble in the end." Gwen said.

"But, I'm a nice boy. I do well in class and….I sure as hell take school seriously…" Peter insisted. "Does that package come with trips to the principal's office?" Gwen wondered, "Anyway, I'm fine if you want to ask. My dad on the other hand is getting agitated by the rise in crime lately. Which explains why Mr. Li is trying his best to accommodate for more people."

"It has gone bad, I agree. It's only a matter of time before things get worse. I think we really need people like Iron Man to swoop in and deal with all this." Peter said. "Really? I think what Spider-Man can do is incredible. Surely he's got the brains to deal with stuff like this." Gwen assured.

"Well Spider-Man is only getting warmed up I think. Fighting against full-fledged costumed supervillains is pretty new besides going after big bad crime lords as well." Peter said. "Hey I was wondering," Gwen said as he finished packing the last salad box, "Do you have like a dance partner to graduation party this year? I know it's weird for me to ask but I need a bit of help."

"Graduation party?" Peter acted surprised and thought about it. Peter originally stuck around with Mary Jane and planned for him and her to be partners but with Mary Jane out of the picture, a void had been created. "I think it can work out. It doesn't have to mean we're… Together." Peter then realised that the last word might change things.

"Together? Huh… I guess you confirmed how close you and MJ were." Gwen stated. Peter wanted to deny this but it was true. Mary Jane did mean a whole lot to him and he wanted her to be dear to his memory. Yet, Gwen Stacy who may potentially fill in the void did not feel like a bad choice either. "Maybe I can try dating again…" Peter thought to himself.

"So do you think you can help me out?" Gwen asked. "Oh… Uh, sure. To be honest, I think it would work out. If people look at us funny then I really don't care." Peter said. "Glad we have a truce…" Gwen said with a smile. After finishing the duty, Peter walked out of the F.E.A.S.T. centre for some fresh air.

"Man, I really need to be conservative about my secret. It's bad enough that Chameleon knows. Gwen potentially knowing really mess things up for me. She's not a bad person as far as I know but…She could really get hurt." Peter said to himself.

Suddenly Peter's world view started to look grey and fragmented with the people in front of him disappearing before a distorted voice starting to speak, "Spider-Man, listen to me carefully…" "Uh.. Are my Spider-powers developing a conscious? What is this?" Peter questioned. "You've been given a gift and I can talk to you from afar…" The voice explained.

"OK, whoever you are… Get out of my head first." Peter insisted. "Calm down and listen to me first. All would be made clear. I need your help, Spider-Man in bringing down the scum of this city." The voice commanded. "Talk…" Peter answered.

"Thank you, for too long Hammerhead has infected this city. He and his associates have been nothing but poison. However, we do have more pressing matters to attend to." The voice continued. "Such as?" Peter questioned. "I can give you the power necessary in bringing down the suited men. The vibranium they steal will suffice no more once you listen…" The voice said.

"And what 'power' are you talking about?" Peter wondered. "All will be made clear when I give you further directions. For now, I'll give you time to prepare yourself…" The voice said before disappearing like a phone call. The world view soon changed back to normal leaving Peter spooked.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	7. Negative Spider-Man

SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 7)

 _3:45 pm Chameleon's hideout…_

Coming back from Midtown High, Chameleon took off his teacher disguise satisfied with the discovery he had made. The satisfaction came to an end when he saw Abner Jenkins out of his suit and looking distressed with his flight pack on the coffee table.

"What's going on?" Chameleon asked. "I have some bad news regarding the vibranium…" Beetle replied. "Take that thing out of sight…" Chameleon demanded. The two then made their way down the staircase to the basement where Chameleon plans things out.

"The vibranium is damaged…" Beetle pointed out as he showed the dent made on his modified flight pack. Chameleon looked at the flight pack in surprise and in awe at what could possibly damage vibranium despite its properties. "Call everyone back, this is important…" Chameleon instructed.

Later, everyone on Chameleon's team was instructed back into the house to discuss the arising problem. "Those guys shut down my gauntlets!" Herman complained as he threw his busted vibranium gauntlets to the floor. "That's because you skills cannot comprehend the application of vibranium…" Cyclone said. "Shut up…" Herman said to his ally.

"Settle down, my friends. Everything has a weakness…" Chameleon assured. "Well, whaddya know our takeover item has a weakness now…" Kangaroo grumbled, "I'm really starting to regret being on this team." "You'll regret that decision…" Chameleon threatened as he took out his plasma knife.

"What's wrong? Struck a nerve?" Kangaroo replied in defiance. In anger, Chameleon grabbed Kangaroo by the throat. Before Chameleon proceeded any further, he was interrupted by a knock on the glass door. The crew looked up to see Edward in his insulated costume standing there holding one of the masked men causing them trouble.

Chameleon let Kangaroo go and walked over to let him in. "Well, if it isn't our late old mate, Edward Lavell, the Eel." Kangaroo said rubbing his throat. "I hate jokes like that…" Edward replied dragging his victim with him. "Edward, my friend. What is it you have?" Chameleon asked. "An answer to your problem…" Edward answered as he threw the man tied down.

"Is he still alive?" Chameleon asked as he slowly took off the demonic mask off the man to reveal an Asian man's face. "Dead? No. Unconscious? Yes." Edward answered in a straight manner. Chameleon slowly examined the man's face before asking, "What kind of men did Hammerhead send in?"

"They belong to a secret associate of his…" Edward answered again as he stood there. "Wake him up…" Chameleon instructed as Edward came forward to do an electro-cardio shock on him. Pressing his two hands against the man's heart, Edward revived the man with jolts of electricity. The man gasped before Chameleon grabbed him by the collar and threw him against the wall.

"Tell me, who are you?" Chameleon demanded. The man said nothing as he continued breathing heavily. Chameleon then motioned Herman to knock some sense into the man. Herman punched the man right across the face with a miniature gauntlet that belonged to Kangaroo.

The man groaned in pain before he actually started talking. "The master controls all…Those who oppose him will submit to his will." The man said. "Who is the master?" Chameleon questioned. The man looked up at Chameleon before reaching out with his hand and touching him on the shoulder.

Chameleon then felt a strange energy being transferred into him and the man's eyes glowed in an attempt to hypnotise him. In retaliation, Chameleon snapped out by slashing his plasma knife across the man's neck ending his life. Breathing heavily from the escape of the hypnosis, Chameleon stood there feeling a little spooked.

"Sir, are you alright?" Herman asked. Chameleon blinked twice before he said a word, "I am fine. Just a little disturbed, whatever this man is… It's a mystery that we have to unfold." Picking up the corpse of the dead man, Chameleon also made his authority known to his peers. "My friends, I'm afraid we can never meet together again at this house…" Chameleon informed.

"What's the problem?" Beetle questioned. "The decision is strategic. We need to keep our resources safer. The better we split things, the better chance we have more surprises. Now leave, all of you…" Chameleon insisted, "Carry on with work just as usual." The others looked at each other with Kangaroo being the most expressive by giving a subtle scowl.

* * *

 _4:45 pm Parker residence…_

" _Oscorp is one of the leading corporations creating pathways for a more accessible future. Using people from all kinds of backgrounds, we're helping to create and innovate discoveries for the world to see. The Nexus prototype suit is one of the latest creations the company is proud to announce as a future product. Our material scientists worked efficiently to find the essential materials needed in order to craft a suit that can be customised by choice to work in different environments._

 _This product will be tested in fields of economic activities such as agriculture or mining. It will also be used as part of Oscorp's mission to improve the environment. We look forward to updating the public more on this suit's development."_

Peter finished watching the video on his phone as his research into finding out how defeating his enemies can be done. As he scrolled down the Oscorp mobile site, he thought about Chameleon's words on not interfering with his business. Peter struggled on whether caring about the people close to him or the general public was more important. It was a duty that had to be fulfilled on both sides and the difficulty to face the enemy at either side gave him too much to pause.

"And what about the other things, Spider-Man?" Peter asked himself, "What about just being Peter Parker?" Peter buried his head on the pillow of his bed before turning his head to the photo of him, Uncle Ben and Aunt May. "I really need the sage advice now…" Peter said referring to how much he learnt from his uncle.

Peter felt worn out and decided he wanted a few minutes where he would just sleep and drift away in hopes his problems would ease off. His eyes drooped as he fell into slumber before waking up some time later to what appears to be midnight. "Wait, what the?" Peter said looking up around his room to comprehend how late it was.

Everything in his room was there as normal but Peter wondered why so much time has passed as he missed dinner and so. That was until, he heard a muffled voice that seemed to be crying for help. Peter wondered why his senses were not ticked off as he tip-toed down the staircase and followed the sound to the dining room.

In the visible dark, Peter followed the sound and found Aunt May tied to a chair gagged looking terrified by whoever did this. "Aunt May?!" Peter gasped before a force behind him grabbed him. A nightmarish grey Shocker with red glowing eyes forced him onto a chair in front of Aunt May.

"I've won, Peter…" A familiar voice started talking. Suddenly a decapitated head of Hammerhead was thrown onto the table shocking Peter. Chameleon slowly strolled out of the shadows behind Aunt May's chair and smiled. "You're the only one I have to deal with left…" Chameleon said, "And I want to cherish every moment…"

Chameleon slowly drew out a Stanley knife and placed it against Aunt May's neck. "How did you…" Peter tried to say. "I calculated my plans and I warned you, Peter. Your own need to stick your nose in other people's businesses have helped me a lot." Chameleon explained. "I haven't even…" Peter tried to say again.

"Shhh…." Chameleon said placing a finger on Peter's lip, "I'm going to ask a couple of other guests to sit down on this table." Chameleon snapped his fingers with a nightmarish looking Beetle leading Ned and Phillip to the next pair of chairs. Both of whom look beaten pretty bad and both being forced to sit down with gags in their mouth.

"People close to you and people working with you. The ways in which you can get hurt are the most intriguing part of all of this…." Chameleon said, "I wonder what else…" "Stop!" Peter cried out before the Shocker behind him knocked the back of his head with a knuckle punch.

"Hammerhead may be my goal but you were the worst nuisance I had to deal with…" Chameleon said, "Last person…" To Peter's horror, it was Gwen. Kangaroo who looked more horrific than ever dragged her and sat her down with her eyes staring into Peter's as if it was trying to say, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"In a moment of silence, I'd give you the chance to reflect on your life." Chameleon said, "May you find peace from your suffering." In an instinct, Peter charged up and angrily ran across the table to tackle Chameleon on the ground. However the table collapsed sending him down a dark whirlpool of despair.

In the whirlpool, Peter relieved the moment he was taken down by the collective unit of Chameleon's henchmen starting with Cyclone, Beetle, Eel, Kangaroo and finally Shocker. Together the beatdown seemed to smother Peter until the photonegative effects around him started to die down and bring Peter back to the real world.

It was only a dream but a nightmare like nothing he imagined. The nightmare felt like a culmination of his worst fears as of now which made Peter think it was a possible future. "Peter, dinner's ready!" Aunt May's voice cried out as Peter saw that the time was nearly 5:00 pm.

During dinner time, Aunt May had made two plates of Pad Thai for the two of them to eat with Aunt May savouring the taste of her cooking. "Peter, don't play around with your food…" Aunt May said as she noticed her nephew not looking too enthusiastic.

Peter gave the food a little food before he answered, "It's actually quite nice… The blend of sweet and sour." "Well, please show it by eating it. I made careful notes on how to replicate the dish." May requested, "Is something else troubling you?"

Peter did not say a word before he answered, "Aunt May… Have you ever felt like you are in danger as of late?" May looked at Peter suspiciously before she could answer, "No, not really. For some reason, the F.E.A.S.T. centre feels like a safe haven right now. Amidst all the chaos that is happening elsewhere, I couldn't have felt much more safer."

Peter looked back at May before saying a thing, "I hope it stays that way…" May placed her fork and knife down and asked Peter, "Has Ben been on your mind lately?" "Uh no…. I mean, Aunt May… You're really taking care of the house and me like crazy. I just want to make sure you're okay from now on…" Peter said.

"Well…" May said chewing a prawn, "I understand. We have a lot of bad people walking around the streets but I'm sure that Spider-Man, whoever he is can put all of them away with the power that he has." May then finished her food, "You do the washing this time and take out the trash…"

Peter sat there thinking before he checked his phone and found that Ned had sent forward a text saying, 'Upgrades at my house. Free of charge. 😊'

* * *

 _6:05 pm Leeds residence…_

Peter swung by Ned's house that evening to find out what was going on. He quickly took off his homemade Spider-Man suit and packed it in his backpack. Knocking on the door, Peter was greeted by a 9 year old little girl at the door.

"You're my brother's best friend right?" The little girl asked. "Yeah, I'm your brother's best friend. Peter Parker." Peter answered. "Hey Mandy, I have the door…" Ned called out as he walked over while his sister ran back. "Oh hey Peter…" Ned said, "What's up?"

"Yeah, heard you have some things for me…" Peter said holding up his phone with the message on it. "Oh yes… Right this way.." Ned laughed before leading Peter to the backyard basement. "Since you left your suit at my house, I helped fix it up a little and I uh… Added some modifications. Which I'm sure you'll appreciate…" Ned explained.

"I will, just don't mess up the suit. Me and Phil spent so many days to get it right…" Peter warned. Ned then lifted up the couch cousin and pulled the suit. The suit was laid on the ping pong table where Peter noticed that the tears have been fixed.

"Wow, it's a little dusty but otherwise, it actually looks good…" Peter commented, "Ned, how did you…" "Well, my mum taught me how to do a little bit of sewing so…" Ned explained, "Why don't you put it on?" Peter then slipped into the suit and wondered what was changed.

"So what's new?" Peter asked. "Well you see… Your eye lens aren't just zoom ins now. I've put in some extra details like…" Ned then turned off the basement lights as Peter now saw everything in night vision. "Wow…" Peter said. "You switch the vision to flashlight mode if you don't like seeing things in green by closing your eye lenses for ten seconds…" Ned further explained.

Peter tried it out and could now see things illuminated through normal light. "Must have taken quite a while to work it out…" Peter said. "Actually I just dismantled an old flashlight and put it in there…" Ned said. "Is that it?" Peter asked.

"Of course not…" Ned said, "Check out the belt I added…" Peter then lifted his suit waistband a little and noticed a sturdy belt had been added underneath with some pockets on it. "I thought you can store more webs with it." Ned explained, "How do you make them?"

"Well, I actually produce it naturally… " Peter explained as he rolled up his left sleeve and took off his web shooter which allowed strings of webbing to be let loose on the floor. He quickly put the web shooter back on and pulled back his sleeve. "OK, I guess I hope having a digital camera stored in the buckle was worth it." Ned said. Peter then opened the buckle and found a small digital camera in it. "I put it there so Spider-Man can take pictures and in case the cops come, you can say, "I didn't do it, look!"

"Fine, you know what? I'll keep it." Peter said. After the rundown of the suit modifications, Ned asked Peter about Phillip. "He's off duty for now. The thing is… The Chameleon. He's close." Peter said. "How close?" Ned asked. "About the inch of my soul, he knows who I am…" Peter said. "What?" Ned whispered.

"I know… I have to play it cool right now." Peter said, "If I don't, he'll go after people like you…" Ned felt the blood in him drain after hearing those words. "Ned, I swear I like the suit and all but I don't know what to do exactly…" Peter confessed.

Suddenly Peter's Spidey-sense started to go off like crazy which Peter thought meant danger was nearby. "Hey dude, why are you looking around all of a sudden?" Ned asked. "I don't know, something's wrong…" Peter replied.

The Spidey-sense was acting stranger than usual as if it was trying to direct Peter elsewhere. "I gotta go, Ned." Peter said before he rushed out of the door leaving behind his backpack with his new suit on. As Peter swung away, Ned was left with the backpack to which he opened up and found the old homemade suit inside.

* * *

 _6:35 pm local bar around Forest Hills…_

Peter found a building in what looked to be a bar only that it was not fancy looking anymore. The only thing that he heard was fancy were the sounds of cheering and laughter. "Why did my Spidey-sense stop as soon as I got here?" Peter asked himself.

"Peter, are you okay?" Ned asked in the earpiece communicator on Peter's ear. "Ned? Yeah, I'm okay… I totally forgot that I had the earpiece thingy on me." Peter said. "Well cool… You know I actually found your old suit in your backpack and honestly I think this thing looks really cool." Ned commented.

"Ned…" Peter warned. "Don't worry, I'm just wearing the mask. It's really cool wearing this to be honest…" Ned added. "Ned, don't break it all right. Just because it's not my default suit anymore does not mean I don't need it. It's a backup one now." Peter replied. "Hey, you can trust me. I just want to feel what it's like…" Ned said, "So what are you doing now?"

"Well I'm staring at bar right now… It must be important." Peter replied. "What's the place called?" Ned asked. "I don't see a name for it." Peter answered. "Oh, are you at the Bar with No Name?" Ned asked. "What?" Peter asked back. "It's a pretty infamous place. It's a bad guy hideout like where regular non super-powered people like to go to." Ned answered, "So, how come you're all the way at Manhattan?"

"What are you talking about, Ned? I'm still in Queens." Peter said. "You said you were at the Bar with No Name. I'm pretty sure that place is at Manhattan…" Ned said. "Oh my god, Ned. You got it all mixed in your head. You know what? I'm going in…" Peter said turning off his earpiece.

Inside the bar, Kangaroo alongside Eel and some other men were killing time by drinking and listening to country music. Eel was in his suit while Kangaroo had his vibranium-laced boots on him while wearing his red suit but with no mask on.

"I'm gonna give this day a big toast." Kangaroo said as he chugged a bottle of old whiskey down his throat. The men cheered him on with Eel standing there with his arms crossed. As Kangaroo finished drinking he let go of his bottle as it shattered to pieces.

"One of these days, I get to open up a place like this once I kick Chameleon on his nose-less face and take a bunch of his money…" Kangaroo said. "Don't forget why we are here…" Eel reminded. "Oh shut it, Lavell. Take off that mask and drink along. We're all mates here." Kangaroo laughed.

"If the police hear us, this place will be a bust. We gotta secure stockpiles of vibranium at certain places and wait for a word from the boss." Eel said again. "Well no use crying over spilt whiskey…" Kangaroo carelessly said.

After a few moments of music and lights, the electricity in the place shut down leaving everyone in a dark place. "Hey, what happened?" One of the men cried out. "Lavell, help with me this." Kangaroo ordered as he and Eel made their way to the downstairs basement.

As the rest of the men waited in silence in the dark, they were suddenly taken out by Peter in the dark. The power was restored with Kangaroo and Eel discovering Peter waiting there for them. "I gotta hand it to the ventilation systems. Without them, you just don't get in the way you do…" Peter said.

"Oh bugger off and stay down…" Kangaroo said as he prepared to launch a vibro-shock air blast at Peter. As the shot fired and missed, the blast knocked down a wall with a window. "Come on Frank, you know you're just copying from another person…" Peter said.

"Herman is a dumbass. He doesn't know what he wants in life…" Kangaroo answered as he prepared to fire another blast. "How about you try close combat for a change?" Peter asked as he dodged the other blast. "Alright then…" Kangaroo said as he charged forward after smashing his gauntlets together.

Peter shot a direct web at Kangaroo's face which resulted in him falling over. "I don't think that's your speciality either…" Peter said as he tried to face Eel who was standing there. "I learnt boxing when I was a kid…" Kangaroo said attempting to save face as he tried removing the webbing.

"Also where's your mask?" Peter said as he kept his attention on Eel. Kangaroo got up and charged at Peter who missed and went straight for Eel. Eel quickly zapped his ally and made him drop to the ground. "Pretty silly he wanted to remove the mask right? Just so he could talk more." Eel said to Peter.

"Yeah and what was your name again?" Peter asked. "Maybe you can just call me, 'The Eel'. It's the only name I would share with you." Eel answered. "OK, then I am Spider-Man. Nice to know I have someone who sort of looks like me…" Peter replied.

Eel responded by sending jolts of electricity in Peter's direction to which Peter moved away from. "Stay there for your own good!" Eel demanded. "Honestly, what is your suit? Can you explain it?" Peter asked.

"I got it from a friend of mine when he retired. He said I'm worthy enough." Eel said as he continued shooting electricity from his hands. "Is that friend who I think it is?" Peter asked as he struggled to understand how to take out Eel.

Eel then stopped responding as he continued sending out jolts of electricity. With no other choice, Peter attempted to shoot out an electrical web at Eel to see if the effects of the suit can be negated. However, this turned out to be a bad choice as it gave Eel an opening to knock out Peter.

Peter was hit hard which left him on the floor in an instant. His assailant walked over to him as he tried to stand up. "Toasted like fried spider. Man, I miss going back to Cambodia." Eel said as he tried to pick up Peter by the head. Without warning, Peter got back up on his feet with his suit changing to a photonegative black and white colour.

Eel was startled and backed away as Peter began walking towards him. "What's wrong? You're afraid of spiders?" Peter asked in a distorted voice. As Eel backed away, Kangaroo got back up with a few words, "Lavell, you son of a bitch. Don't you dare walk away…"

In an instance, Eel shot out electricity from both his hands hitting both Kangaroo and Peter. Kangaroo once again found himself on the floor while Peter only flinched a little. Peter shot out a couple of webs at Eel who broke them with the electricity around his suit.

Kangaroo used the last of his strength with his boots to launch himself at Peter knocking him down. Peter quickly recovered and grabbed his boots. The vibranium was starting to dissociate with Kangaroo screaming in pain as felt like his legs were getting ripped apart.

Eel escaped out of the broken wall while Peter continued to attack Kangaroo. Kangaroo tried to punch Peter with his gauntlets only for Peter to absorb the blasts with his hand and shatter the gauntlets to pieces leaving the talkative criminal defenceless.

Without any form of control, Peter mercilessly started beating on his victim as he punched him repeatedly on the face. Before the final blows can be delivered, a warning shot fired in the air with Peter's attention turning to the cops who have entered the bar and surrounded him.

"Drop him, Spider-Man!" Captain Stacy yelled walking forward in front of his cops. Peter looked at the beaten Kangaroo and looked back at the police. "I won't have a choice if you continue with this…" Captain Stacy warned as he drew out his gun.

With the ounce of morality left inside of him, Peter dropped Kangaroo to the floor and quickly left the building through the ventilation system he had entered through. "Captain, you let him go!" An officer said. Captain Stacy said nothing as he looked at the ventilation system and thought that something strange was going on with Spider-Man.

"Secure Frank Oliver…" Captain Stacy ordered, "He's not escaping this time. Not in this condition." The police then dragged the beaten and crippled Kangaroo with them as Captain Stacy took a moment of silence to reflect on the first time he met Spider-Man when he caught Kangaroo to how it is now.

He had noticed how the neighbourhood has changed since the arrival of the demonic masked men and now that Spider-Man seems to have been possessed by them, it feels like that perhaps Hammerhead or someone else has contacted something and that the gang war between Hammerhead and Chameleon is starting to feel secondary.

* * *

 _8:35 pm Chameleon's hideout…_

Chameleon sat inside his basement and worked on creating a disguise based on the man Edward Lavell had captured today. As he finished stitching the face, he then lifted up the black and white demon mask the man wore and examined it. Transfixed by its gaze, Chameleon's eyes felt hypnotised by the power that stemmed from it.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	8. The Demon is Hungry

SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 8)

 _7:35 pm Forest Hills Police Precinct…_

Captain Stacy sat on his desk rubbing his forehead as he listened to his superior talk. "We really hated your performance today, Captain." The commissioner informed, "One escaped suspect and letting Spider-Man go."

"We've issued laws that indicate street vigilantism as an illegal activity. And especially hearing those horrendous acts of brutality, you should have made a move." The commissioner reminded, "He nearly killed a suspect today."

"Well, it's not the Spider-Man we know usually. I mean do we have information on why he changed his suit?" Captain Stacy asked. "George please…" The commissioner warned. "No, I'm serious. I think ever since Hammerhead let those men in, people have undergone some photonegative colouring. Isn't that weird?" Captain Stacy asked again.

"We'd arrest Spider-Man regardless. He may have started his career by saving cats and such but his capabilities are a community hazard. His fights with Shocker, Beetle and the Kangaroo are examples of the devastating effects he can create…" The commissioner said.

"I mean those guys you mentioned are dangerous that even people like us NYPD have a hard time dealing. It's funny really… Those guys get to make some advanced stuff and all we're given are pistols, tasers and stuff that only works for ordinary people." Captain Stacy retorted, "What would happen if Spider-Man isn't around? People like Iron Man don't just swoop in to save the day."

"I'd have to take away your position if you fail to comply with orders…" The commissioner said. "Uh okay…" Captain Stacy said confidently, "I mean now I understand why some people chose to act away from the law because the law can hold them back. In fact, at this point… I'm okay with losing this position. It's taken a lot from me personally."

"A shame… You can't expect to get a job like this back in the department if you quit like this." The commissioner responded. "Well, I can already feel more wrinkles on my face now. See you, Beth." Captain Stacy said turning off his phone.

From that point forward, he was now known as only Deputy George Stacy. Some of his colleagues were surprised that their captain resigned leaving the lieutenant of the precinct to fill in the void. George changed out of his police uniform and walked out of the precinct with new intentions.

* * *

 _? Queens NY ?_

Peter Parker sat lonesome on a building staring into the dark and empty sky as well as the bleak surroundings. His real self was stuck in a world that seemed to be a dark world of sorts and as of now he was confused.

"What has happened?" Peter asked himself. "It is the world that you see now. A world that needs cleansing for all the sins committed by people who bring nothing but pain for others." A distorted voice whispered, "The people who will destroy your life should you not stop them."

"Who are you first of all? And what's your part in all of this?" Peter questioned. "Someone who cares for the city and someone who doesn't like people like Hammerhead or the Chameleon. Someone who is inspired by you." The voice answered.

"Well, you like keeping things vague don't you? I guess you're another part of the problem I have to solve." Peter said before his head starting hurting. Peter fell off the building and onto the floor placing both hands on his head in an attempt to stop the pain.

"Get out of my head!" Peter cried. "Help me with our enemies or the visions you were shown will be real…" The voice insisted. "I'm not a killer…" Peter snapped back as the pain continued.

"Their suffering can restore more of what was lost. We can balance that out and give people the justice they deserve." The voice said ignoring Peter's words, "We sweep the city of its filth." "Everything was fine, I don't need to resort to killing my enemies. That's not why I chose to be Spider-Man…" Peter said as he tried standing up.

But the pain overwhelmed him as the mysterious powers held him down. "We are wasting time now. We need to finish what we started right now…" The voice informed before disappearing. The pain also stopped with the world returning to normal colours. However Peter's self was still possessed the new photonegative look and personality that has dominated him.

He swung onto another rooftop with his heightened 'Spidey-sense' giving coordinates on where he could find his next target. Once he was able to pinpoint the location, Peter swung into the night in his photonegative black and white suit in pursuit.

* * *

 _8:25 pm Thompson residence…_

Flash Thompson being a smart academic as well as smart sportsman was really bright when it comes to inviting his friends to one of the nicest properties in Queens. As the resident rich kid, he could afford bringing a large number of students to his night parties every once in a while.

A few would see this as Flash being egotistical but acknowledge that these moments always bring the students of Midtown High together and occasionally other people from different high schools as well. Gwen herself was very welcome in these events often letting herself catch up with friends after a day at F.E.A.S.T.

"Oh my god, what the hell is Flash doing?" Cindy Moon, a friend of Gwen's asked as she watched Flash try to stand on top of his house's balcony wall while his friends cheer him on. "Liz, it's up to you if I break my kneecaps!" Flash called out from above while his girlfriend anxiously watched.

"Ugh…" Gwen said holding her drink as she watched Flash attempt the act, "This might be the last party Flash will ever host." With enough power, Flash squatted his kneecaps before lifting himself up into the air. As soon as Flash landed, everyone gasped in concern that he might have shattered his legs but Flash reassured nothing serious happened by standing up straight away as soon as he landed.

A round of applause followed as soon as possible with Flash boasting, "Superhero landing." "You gotta hand it to Eugene…" Sally Avril chimed in between Gwen and Cindy, "The guy knows his sports." "Equally smart as well…" Cindy added, "It's technically only Peter Parker who'd get to best him in the academic area really."

"Does Parker ever come to these events anyway?" Cindy wondered. "He used when he followed Harry around back then. But he's hanging low with Ned Leeds and he's been considered an outcast…" Sally informed, "Oh yeah, forgot to say that I heard there's a rumour Gwen is dating him?"

"What?" Gwen quickly responded, "We just talk to each other a lot at volunteering about how our day has been." "Even before all that, with MJ and stuff. You looked like you were curious with him." Sally added, "In science classes…"

"I mean what else am I supposed to say? Wow, that guy is smart. Pfft… Whatever." Gwen responded. "She has a point, Sally. We all look at Parker when he does something genius." Cindy said. "Oh silly me… Of course. I mean who cares about him when it comes to gym class?" Sally said laughing a little.

"Hey, what are you girls up to?" Seymour O'Reilly came and asked. Being one of Flash's best friend, Seymour was known for being really enthusiastic and a womaniser at times using events like these to chat up with people.

"Get lost, Seymour…" Cindy said. "Yeah…" Gwen added. "Oops sorry… It's private talk time for you guys right?" Seymour questioned, "Plus I'm pretty sure you're all used to me." "Yeah and it's not charming…" Gwen said giving Seymour one look.

"Gwendolyn, I apologize profusely. But I want to ask if you're interested in partnering up with me for grad party?" Seymour asked, "I mean these two already have dates." "Yeah." Sally answered. "Same. Though I hope Hector can make it. He tends to be absent quite a bit." Cindy said.

"Can I fill in?" Seymour asked Cindy. Cindy however squinted her eyes at Seymour as a gesture of refusal. "Back to you, Gwen… So, um… No, wait. I just remembered. I heard you're seeing Bookworm Parker." Seymour said, "I mean. What the hell do you see in him?"

"Oh my god… I'm not dating him! Geez.. I'm close to him because of my connection to Mary Jane. And I'm not going to steal him away from my best friend. Who exactly started this rumour anyway?" Gwen asked. All of sudden, a police siren was heard in the distance.

"Okay everyone, I might need to end this party…" Flash called out as he went to check out what was going on. This soon turned out to be George Stacy in his personal police car waiting on the street. "Hey Eugene, can you grab my daughter?" George asked. "Oh, Mr Stacy? Uh, yeah sure…" Flash responded.

"False alarm…" Flash said running back, "Hey Gwen, it's your dad." Gwen waved goodbye to the people at the party before she walked up on the front lawn to the car. "Dad? Why are you this early?" Gwen asked.

"Just got lucky today plus first thing I gotta do is to make sure my daughter isn't getting into trouble. Do you mind hopping in?" George requested. "You know what? Why not?" Gwen said fatigued by the party before getting into the car. "I'd thought you'd never…" George said before starting up the car.

* * *

 _8:35 pm…_

As they were driving, Gwen and George finally talked to each other. "Kinda awkward to be in an actual police car…" Gwen said. "Well I'm gonna get that sweet Porsche back the next couple of days…" George said.

"So… Why are you early?" Gwen asked. "I gotta change of job. I'm not captain anymore of Forest Hills." George said. "What? How did you lose your title?" Gwen asked again. "Well, let's just say I had a disagreement with one part of the law and they said, "Okay, we're taking your title away."" George explained.

"What law would that be?" Gwen asked. "Well, people like Spider-Man. Zipping and thwipping around town in search of bad guys. Honestly the guy makes my life easier yet to some people he's a chore." George stated.

"I bet it's that Daily Bugle paper that's driving people wild." Gwen said. "Oh yeah… The chief editor, Toothbrush Moustache likes to cash it in." George joked, "How about you? What's up with you?" "I can't wait till I graduate…" Gwen said shaking her head, "Really want to chase my ambitions.."

"Do tell…" George said. "Mr. Warren thinks I could work in biology or some other science field. Part of me actually wants to be a musician. Be expressive and free." Gwen said. "Musician sounds fascinating… I think it's up to you so long as that career doesn't tank. Not like mine at the moment. Take a note from your mother." George said.

"And just in case you want to ask… No I'm not dating anyone." Gwen said. George laughed before saying a word, "I understand. You know I think that boy Eugene is a bad choice. I mean his family is quite the proud bunch."

"Yeah, there's not a chance with him. I guarantee that. Not a chance with the friends of his either." Gwen said. "So what kind of… Uh, boy do you like?" George questioned. "Person? Oh I say I'd like honest people." Gwen said plain and simple.

"That's nice. Honesty is what cleans up messes." George said as he decided to turn on the radio, "Hey that sounds like Billy Idol…" As the song continued, Gwen confirmed it, "It sure is… It sounds like Rebel Yell." The song turned out to be the case to which George and Gwen began to dig into the tune.

As the song was playing, it was abruptly stopped by something along the way. The car lights turned off with the music with George grabbing out his torch. The torch managed to snap a quick glimpse of a man in a yellow suit running in the way before launching himself into the air with his gauntlets.

"Shocker?" George said trying to flash his light before another figure caught his attention. It was Spider-Man in his photonegative black and white suit in the night background giving chase. Spider-Man ignored the police car as well as the other civilians who are witnessing as he seemed focused on chasing down Shocker.

"Dad, did you see Spider-Man's colours? He looks different than usual." Gwen asked. George remained startled before speaking, "Of course, sweetie. That's what happened today." "What do you mean?" Gwen wondered. "Me and my crew found him at a former Maggia-owned bar when we heard a ruckus." George simply stated, "It's the case that got me fired."

"What are you going to do now, dad?" Gwen asked. George looked at his daughter before he answered, "I'm gonna miss a proper chance at hanging out with Helen, Simon and you once again. You mind driving this thing back to the house? While I do my thing?"

"I'm still only learning…" Gwen said. "Fine, walk home or call mum then. I need to do some things." George said. "Dad, don't be stupid. You're not like them." Gwen said reminding George that Spider-Man and Shocker are superpowered people.

"If I die then I did my job serving in line of my duty. I may not have powers like them but that doesn't mean I can't be a hero." George said stopping the car before getting out. "Do as I tell you, Gwen. I love you." George said as he grabbed out a tracker from his pocket.

* * *

 _8:45 pm Forest Hills Stadium…_

Herman was terrified out of his life as he tried to catch his breath from the terror he was chased by. The new photo-negative Spider-Man was relentless and merciless. Standing in the middle of the stadium face to face with his enemy, Herman was ready to make his last stand.

"You're not as quippy as you used to be." Herman said. "You won't run…" Peter simply answered in a distorted voice. "I will and I'll pulverise you if you shoot a web or take a step further…" Herman said readying his gauntlets.

Not even threatened by his words, Peter starting assaulting Herman by shooting web after web at him. Herman's eye-pieces were able to detect early incoming objects allowing him to deploy foldable shields from his gauntlets.

The web stuck on the shields and were let loose by the vibrations produced on the gauntlets. "Interesting…" Peter said looking at the webs on the ground. Herman then proceeded to blast a shockwave of concussive air at Peter to which he dodged.

Another blast was fired, this time the blast lasted longer which turned over chairs across the stadium. Peter swung around to avoid the blast until it stopped giving him time to do some damage. Swinging back a chair at Herman, Peter hoped to knock the Chameleon's second-in-command out.

After repeatedly doing the same routine, Herman still stood strong using both his shields to deflect the chairs. Herman was tired out by the attack giving Peter a chance to physically attack him. Herman himself was surprised that Peter was not tired himself as he was punched right across the face.

One mechanical eyepiece was cracked a little while Herman tried to focus and defend himself as the hits keep coming. At this rate, his mask could be broken and all the high-tech components could be gone. Herman then aimed at Peter and fired successfully launching him into the air before Peter looked down on him from the sky ready to strike.

Meanwhile, George saw police cars on the way as he followed the noise from the stadium and arming himself for the conflict that was going on. Ever since the emergence of criminals like the Shocker and Kangaroo, police were given protective vests against shockwave blasts that they wore underneath their shirts.

As soon as he arrived at the scene, the police were already surrounding the stadium with their guns ready. George tried to get in but was stopped by his fellow officers. "Sorry, captain…. I mean deputy." A police lady said. "Get out of my way…" George insisted.

"You're not eligible to do that, George…" A police man added. "Oh? What happened to loyalty? What happened to the trust I formed with my officers?" George asked, "Do you honestly think you guys can handle this situation better than someone than your former captain?"

The officers looked at each other as George passed them armed with a pistol and a taser gun on his belt buckle. Walking into the middle of the stadium, George managed to catch a glimpse of Spider-Man and Shocker fighting. Shocker was still standing albeit with his eyepieces cracked as well as his gauntlets nearly coming off.

Spider-Man looked as if he hadn't endured a scratch with the photonegative effect surrounding him. "You're better off surrendering…" Peter said taunting Herman. "I'm not giving in…" Herman said clutching onto his chest to show that he is hurting.

At this moment, George stood there conflicted at the scenario. George had believed in Spider-Man since the beginning recognising the good he has done for Queens. Yet the vigilante is acting out of character and is now using questionable acts of violence against his enemies.

Shocker on the other hand was a long-time criminal who always does bad by the law any chance he is let out of the street. Yet despite being a wrongdoer, he was becoming defenceless and at the verge of possibly dying if Spider-Man continues his act. "There's no justice in an act like this." George thought and aimed his pistol.

A shot was fired and Spider-Man immediately tried to act only for his arm to get hit. His attention was switched as he looked George in the eye. "You're better than this, Spider-Man." George said aiming his gun at him. Spider-Man immediately shot a web out at George binding him together with his gun on the ground.

Walking up to George, Spider-Man grabbed him by the neck. "Stay out of my way, officer…" Peter threatened, "I'm doing a better job than you at the cleaning this city." "Listen to me…" George said trying to reason with him while being choked, "Whatever is happening to you. You have to fight back against it."

"I don't need to fight back." Peter said, "I'm going to embrace it. My new powers will overwhelm whatever stands in our way." "I'm on your side! I'm trying to stop you from being the law's enemy!" George said struggling.

"Then let me finish him…" Peter said, "Give me the chance this time to finish him off." Herman could only watch as Spider-Man held George on the throat. "Let me reason with you properly…" George insisted. Spider-Man held onto his neck a little longer before throwing George onto the ground.

"Fine. You know what? Lock up the scum right here…I'll continue the mission in hunting down the rest." Peter said turning around and glaring at Herman. "My children look up to you, you know? Imagine they'd see you in person now. They'd be extremely disappointed." George said as soon as Spider-Man turned his back.

Spider-Man said nothing before he swung away with George looking. George then turned his attention to Herman. "Just arrest me…" Herman said to George. "What kind of trick are you pulling, huh?" George questioned.

"Nothing, I just want to be safe. Safe from Spider-Man. Safe from the Chameleon and safe from anything else that wants to hurt me." Herman said as he pulled off his gauntlets. George was sceptical at first before deciding to take the chance. "You've got a lot of talking to do." George said taking out his handcuffs.

The rest of the officers came in with the replacement captain leading them. "Deputy…" The captain said. "Ah, captain Saito. Glad to see you here. Please help me get this guy to lock-up." George requested. "Okay then…" The captain said as he helped tie Herman's hands together.

George thought to himself, Spider-Man is now the number one target on his list and he needs to find an answer for the trance the vigilante is in. "Oh yes, captain?" George asked. "Yes?" The captain asked. "Open up a new case for the department. It's about people in photonegative colour and how that colour affects them." George requested.

* * *

 _8:50 pm Leeds residence…_

"Unbelievable, isn't it?" Phillip said furiously tapping on his laptop, "Got to do some research on demons and now Peter's possessed." "Not to assume anything, but how strongly tied to your background is this?" Ned asked.

"Me? We actually don't believe in demons or any form of superstition in my family. But this is a world where apparently the gods of Norse mythology exist as well. Or every other mythical being for that matter." Phillip answered, "But I do have some answers to my research."

"Well?" Ned asked. "The people wearing those weird masks are embodying the face of Èmó (恶魔), that's what we call demons in Chinese. Alternatively we can call them Yao Guai or as the Japanese say, 'yokai'. Anyway…" Phillip explained, "The real thing I want to get into is the people."

Phillip pulled up his search engine to show his results, "I did a little bit of research into triad gangs and there's a number of them that personify the likes of different animals. Tiger, Snake, Peacock…Dragon. My theory is that this is as close as we can get to in terms of understanding who these people are. The ones that supposedly possessed Peter."

Phillip showed images of old family gang photos of the triads to Ned in order for him to grasp the situation. "Then what do Maggia have to do with them? If Hammerhead is the one who sent them in." Ned asked. "Don't know but I wouldn't be surprised if they were just being diplomatic and professional." Phillip said.

"What are we going to do?" Ned asked as he pulled out Peter's old Spider-Man suit. "Play detective I guess?" Phillip said, "We're not superpowered people at all. I don't know how to help Peter when he's overpowered."

"Actually the detective part isn't so bad…" Ned said, "Maybe we can ask the triads if there's a magic trick involved that can bring Peter back." "What?!" Phillip exclaimed, "Are you stupid? They're a notorious crime organisation that could cut your balls off if you're a stranger contacting them."

"Really? Why though? I mean how do people approach them if they're organised?" Ned asked. "Oh my god… I.." Phillip then sighed, "No, no, no…" "Are you okay, Phil?" Ned asked. "Uh yeah… I need a glass of water." Phillip said rubbing his forehead.

Ned gave Phillip a funny look before he got up and walked away. Meanwhile Phillip opened up an article from the Daily Globe that reported on Spider-Man's fight with Kangaroo and Eel.

ANTI SPIDER-MAN?

By Edward Brock

 _An old bar formerly owned by the Maggia's Karnelli Family at the heart of Forest Hills, Queens was a hideout for two notorious costumed criminals from the 'Superior Foes of Spider-Man' team. Frank Oliver (a.k.a. the Kangaroo),Edward Lavell (a.k.a. the Eel) and at least seven other men fought against Spider-Man in the ongoing struggle of a vigilante's crusade against a gang._

 _What is more significant about the fight is that it was not just Spider-Man taking out a group of gang members. The police who had arrived on the scene were able to glimpse Spider-Man in what was described as a 'photo-negative' black and white suit._

 _Currently it is unknown what the significance of the suit means but witness Captain George Stacy briefly stated that Spider-Man not only had an appearance change but also a personality one as well. The vigilante was described as more willing to hurt others in his crusade against crime._

 _The aftermath of the events have resulted in Frank Oliver being seriously injured and seeking treatment at the Forest Hills Community Hospital under the watchful eyes of authorities. Edward Lavell on the other hand had escaped the scene. The rest of the seven men with them have been arrested with police attempting to get word out of them. More updates regarding this situation will follow soon._

Ned came back with a glass to which Phillip snatched and drank the water. "Oh god…" Phillip said after drinking, "Um…Did you see the articles of what they wrote about 'photo-negative' Spider-Man?" "I try not to read fluff pieces. I know I want to be like a photographer and maybe a journalist when I graduate but I feel like stuff like that from either the Bugle or Globe are just cash-ins." Ned told Phillip.

"I get what you mean… The guy who runs the Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson. What an obnoxious shitbag…. The guy behind the Globe on the other hand, Barney Bushkin is okay but sometimes he can measure up to Jonah…" Phillip said. "The media is all sorts of wrongs these days…" Ned said sitting on the couch, "Which is why someday I want to turn it around."

* * *

 _9:05 pm Forest Hills Police Precinct…_

George had to be called back into the precinct for a disclosure from the suspects they caught tonight. "Hey George, you want to do a little thing for us?" Captain Saito asked, "We interviewed the men we caught at the bar. All cagey and very little information drawn out from them."

"And Frank Oliver? Any word from him at the hospital?" George asked. "All we gathered from him were signs that he doesn't want to work with Chameleon anymore. He doesn't want to give up the locations of where the rest of vibranium is though. I think however he's given us an address to a location."

"An address? Did you look it up?" George asked. "It's a residential house located near a retirement village in Jamaica. Sounds like a place to avoid suspicion." Captain Saito said. "A hideout perhaps? Send forward a team then, Captain." George said, "No wait.. It could be a trap."

"You giving orders or am I giving orders?" Captain Saito questioned. "Never mind that… Got any words from our friend Herman Schultz?" George wondered. "That's exactly why I called you in. You can do interrogation right?" Captain Saito asked.

"I want my darn title back, okay? This thing is one of the many reasons I was promoted. Now… Maybe you can watch and learn." George stated before he went looking for the interrogation room. George found a small room where Herman out of costume was sitting with two police officers watching.

As soon as George entered, the cops made gestures to signal their leaving and allowed George to deal with the situation. "Hello Herman. You doing okay?" George asked as Herman did not try to look up.

"Look, I know the authorities and such give you a hard time. But this is a chance in which we can have a little light conversation. I know you're a wanted man but you still help us with stuff…" George said. Again Herman remained silent.

"Okay, I want to ask about your relationship with your two other friends, Hammerhead and Chameleon. Got anything you want to loop back to me?" George asked. But no matter what George tried to say, Herman just would not talk.

"Judging from what we think. Obviously you worked with Hammerhead and I guess you were forced to work with the Chameleon when he broke you out of Middle Village that other time, right?" George questioned. Herman managed to nod a little.

"There we go. Now…I'm gonna ask about other things. Vibranium locations; hideouts and other gear… Which by the way, was that suit of yours still manufactured from Mason's?" George questioned.

Herman then went back to being silent and at that moment, George decided to do something about it. He walked up to the door and asked Captain Saito for a pen and paper. Saito agreed and eventually came back with what was needed.

"Alright, Herman. Since you're an introvert. Here's a pen and paper. Write down things that can help with our investigation. You can do it, I believe in you." George said before he got up and left. As he left the room, Captain Saito and the other officers who were watching the interrogation were confused by George leaving.

"Uh… Deputy Stacy? Where are you going?" Captain Saito asked. "I've done my job. It's up to you guys now. Good luck." George said before leaving the precinct.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	9. A New Burden

SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 9)

 _9:20 pm Harrow residence, Middle Village…_

In the wake of his fight against the rogue Chameleon, Hammerhead had been laying low in public as much as possible being safeguarded at the most secure hideouts around Queens he knew from his Maggia roots.

The best option for him was to stay at his private doctor's house. Dr. Jonas Harrow provided friendly company for the crime lord as he stayed at the basement floor of the house where he enjoys some good meals and hospitality. Hammerhead's loyal body guards were also casually dressed whenever they arrive and were sent out like hawks on patrol at times.

"You've been great help to me, Jonas." Hammerhead said as he was enjoying a steak dinner on a table, "This place has been the best safe haven for me for the last few days." "You weren't just my patient, you were a great friend to me as well. I owe you the best medical service." Jonas said sitting on a chair.

"I won't disagree with that," Hammerhead laughed, "It's been pretty rough for me. A shame, my good friend Phineas Mason isn't around to help work on some things." "Are the men you hired any worth to you?" Jonas questioned referring to the demon masked men.

Hammerhead stopped eating before he answered, "It's complicated. The decision was not easy as is the alliance. But it was risk I took to save this beautiful neighbourhood." Jonas nodded and was scared of the unknown, he also was scared of telling Hammerhead that Spider-Man has visited his house before.

"How's life going on for you, Jonas?" Hammerhead asked. "I've been trying to get back into business but my 'records' are making it tough for me. My wife also left me which pains me cause I love her." Jonas answered. "Not to intrude on your personal life but… I hope things work out for you." Hammerhead said smiling.

Suddenly a bodyguard came down escorting Eel to where Hammerhead is. Jonas and Hammerhead turned their attention to him as he took off his mask. "Mr. Lavell, my old friend. I'm glad to see that you escaped your encounter." Hammerhead said as he saw him.

"It's been a bit of bad news and good, boss." Eel reported, "The good news is that some of Chameleon's people are locked away for good. The bad news is Spider-Man." "Tell me of what you know…" Hammerhead requested. "He's gained strong abilities. Abilities I believe inherited from our temporary ally." Eel said.

In frustration, Hammerhead grabbed out his phone and decided to make a phone call. "I need to talk…" Hammerhead said as he dialled a number. As soon as the phone picked, Hammerhead spoke in an unhappy tone.

"I want to ask what are you thinking by giving Spider-Man your powers?" Hammerhead questioned. "A necessary step to bring down our enemies, Mr. Cavallaro. He's proven to be a great asset in taking them out." A man's voice replied. "How great of an asset can that be? Are you foolish enough to consider if he could break from your spell?" Hammerhead asked.

"I can control my powers the way I want to. His mind is too weak against my will." The voice continued, "Any further discussion?" "You'll honour our alliance or I will cut you off for good. You understand me?" Hammerhead said before the phone turned off.

"What now?" Eel asked. "Continue your patrol, find some answers on how we can counteract the power of our friends. Look into any history we may have had with him." Hammerhead instructed. "Very well…" Eel said before putting on his mask and leaving.

"Jonas, do you mind taking my plate away for me, please…" Hammerhead politely asked. "Anything…" Jonas said without question. "A good day for a fine meal." Hammerhead said as he used a napkin on his lips.

* * *

 _9:25 pm Chameleon's hideout…_

Chameleon had been displeased no doubt with his plans to take over Queens seemingly crumbling apart since the backup Hammerhead got as well as the news of Spider-Man. He had thrown a tantrum in his house turning over furniture in the living room.

The only two allies he had left with him were Beetle and Cyclone. There was an advantage to having the two around in comparison to the loss of Kangaroo and Shocker. For Kangaroo and Shocker, they were more muscle than they were brain. It was up to Chameleon's wit to use the engineering genius of his two remaining allies intelligently or his goals will go slim.

Beetle and Cyclone came to his place in casual clothes that night with concerns of their plans going awry. "Ze promises we were given… Are unfortunately unlikely…" Cyclone said. "You've doomed us!" Beetle angrily complained, "The Maggia will execute us all."

"Settle down…" Chameleon assured. "Settle down?!" Beetle angrily said again, "I will use your dead body for money." Beetle tried to punch Chameleon only for Cyclone to restrain him. Chameleon walked up to him punching him Beetle across the face and holding him down.

"If you leave… You'll die earlier. You stick with me, you may live longer." Chameleon threatened before letting Beetle go. "Now… If you would like to hear something from me. I've been examining the masked man in my basement. To understand what he is and where he came from." Chameleon said.

"Did you learn a thing?" Beetle asked. "Clearly the mask is Chinese. My only logical conclusion is that the triads will have a better understanding of what it is." Chameleon said, "But the more pressing matter is this. Spider-Man." "Frank and Herman have already been taken out by ze Spider-Man. What exactly can we do to stop him? Our vibranium is faulty against him." Cyclone said.

"I know how to hurt Spider-Man personally. I told him if he interfered, that he will pay for the consequences. And I know where to attack." Chameleon told them. Beetle and Cyclone looked at each other. "Emotional torture? Sounds like the best part to me." Beetle said optimistically. "I'm glad I still have friends on my side." Chameleon replied.

* * *

 _9:28 pm Flushing Chinatown…_

Ned and Phillip had made their way to the neighbourhood of Flushing by taxi where they ventured into the depths of Chinatown for some answers. "Golden Fujian, that one over there. It has great food and all but deep down you'll find some shady people." Phillip pointed out, "Can't believe we're doing this."

"Seems you got history, huh?" Ned wondered. "Yeah, let's see if they're nice to me." Phillip said nervously as they approached a side alley door with Chinese characters hanging above it. Phillip knocked to which the door hatch opened.

"Who's there?" A Chinese man's voice asked. Phillip then tried appealing to the man in Cantonese. The man then said something back to Phillip in the same language before Phillip answered. Afterwards, the door opened in front of Ned and Phillip.

Phillip's heart was pounding while Ned was oblivious to the potential danger they are about to get themselves into. The two entered through the backdoor of a Chinese restaurant that seemed to be filled with men and women who are dressed in formal fashion.

Their eyes watched as the two were led into a private room where a middle-aged Chinese man with a scar across his face dressed in a white tuxedo with a black tie was playing mah-jong with three other people. The man who let Ned and Phillip in soon interrupted in Hakka.

The men turned their attention to the guests with displeasure at the sight of strangers. The man in white looked at the two with a hint of remembrance on his face, he then motioned for the rest of the men to leave the game with the man who lead Ned and Phillip in being allowed to stay.

The white suited man then ordered the two to sit down to which both Ned and Phillip complied to. "Welcome to my residence….My name is Tsui Fong, you may address me as 'The White Dragon'. What do you want?" The man asked.

The White Dragon was a notorious crime lord of the triad that controls a great deal of business in the depths of one of New York's biggest Chinatowns. As part of the Chinese community, a great influence is felt from him as he watches over the businesses conducted by the daily lives of people. Spider-Man may or may not have interfered in his business during his early days.

"Uh, we're here for some information regarding this…" Ned said before showing off an image of a masked man from his phone. White Dragon examined the phone and changed expression from being generous to serious. "And why exactly are showing me this?" The White Dragon asked.

"Well, we thought you know something about this…" Ned said, "Not to involve you but uh…Hammerhead employed some of these people and we want to learn more about them." The White Dragon laughed before answering, "And why would I tell you that?"

Phillip then gave Ned one look before forcing himself to stare at the White Dragon. The White Dragon then looked at him, "How are you?" The White Dragon forced a smile showing his ghastly razor sharp yellow teeth at Phillip. "Good…" Phillip said in Cantonese.

The White Dragon nodded before laughing again, "My native tongue is Hakka but it's okay…. Anyway, back to your question." The White Dragon looked at Ned. "Uh yeah, you gonna share some information about these people or is that confidential?" Ned wondered.

"You kids are in so much trouble coming here. What's it matter to you if I share this information?" White Dragon asked. "I don't know but does the fight between Hammerhead and Chameleon bother you?" Phillip asked. The White Dragon looked at Phillip before saying some words, "Neither of them are gonna win this fight for control… That I'm sure of." White Dragon said.

"What'd do you mean?" Ned asked. "You see… If Hammerhead wins, someone is going to accelerate his own plans and take him out. If he loses, it's the same thing. This person has abilities that are beyond human comprehension. Something that we all fear…" White Dragon explained.

"Can you…Tell us who it is?" Ned sheepishly asked. "No." White Dragon replied, "We cannot speak out his name. We're under his watch…" "Ugh… This is pointless. We're not getting anything, let's go." Phillip said trying to leave.

"SIT DOWN!" White Dragon bellowed preventing Phillip from standing up, "You came here asking for information and now you're paying a price." As White Dragon bellowed, Ned noticed veins in his neck glow lava red for a brief second before it disappeared. "You… I want you to get out of my place before I change my mind." White Dragon said to Ned, "And you…" The attention later went to Phillip.

"I want you to leave as well but with something extra…" White Dragon said, "Tell your father… That I want him to accelerate his payment rate to me. Your family is still indebted to me even after the recent years. You know what comes next if he refuses."

White Dragon then shouted something in Hakka which brought in two other men into the room. "Get these two out of my place…" White Dragon ordered as Ned and Phillip were escorted out. "Eh…Thank you very much." Ned said on the way out.

Ned and Phillip soon found themselves thrown out onto the pavement where the two landed on a puddle. Their clothes were soaked by the puddles as they lifted themselves out. "This was always a bad idea…" Phillip said, "Now I'm in so much trouble." "But we got an idea of a third player in this whole thing." Ned said.

"At what cost?" Phillip said walking away, "It's very vague and if it's them… Then I gotta say it was obvious." "I'm sorry about what happened at the end. I…Didn't…" Ned said. "I can't blame you… You obviously don't know them like I do." Phillip said with a sigh, "Where do I start? I'm not working now and he's gonna coming right at me and my family if we don't reach a deadline."

"You want me to help pay some things?" Ned asked. "No… Save your troubles." Phillip requested, "We have to bring Peter back somehow…"

* * *

 _10:30 pm F.E.A.S.T. centre, Queens_

"The F.E.A.S.T. centre? Why are we targeting a place that helps so many people?" Beetle asked as he, Chameleon and Cyclone were seated inside a van parked sideways in front of the F.E.A.S.T. centre. "Someone and a lot of people…" Chameleon said holding onto the steering wheel while disguised with generic man's face.

"What exactly are we going to do that draws Spider-Man's attention?" Cyclone asked. "Noise," Chameleon answered, "Loud enough for him to come here." Cyclone and Beetle looked at each other before they answered. "By the way, don't we have another team player with us still?" Beetle asked referring to Eel.

"Mr. Lavell has been tasked with holding off Hammerhead as we speak. We'll hear from him soon after." Chameleon said, "Suit up and get everyone else ready." Cyclone then grabbed a walkie talkie and gave the word, "We're ready."

Meanwhile inside the F.E.A.S.T. centre, Aunt May was helping prepare everyone to go to sleep. Her dedication has been positive all way round helping those feel like they have home as well as have a stable life. "Remember to put the lights out before 11…" Aunt May said to the people.

Once everyone was comfortably slipped into the bedsheets, as Aunt May was getting ready to finish her day worth's of work, Cyclone waited outside to strike as he levitated himself in the air before unleashing a whirlwind of air onto the F.E.A.S.T. building.

The glass on the windows shattered and the bricks collapsed on the ground as Cyclone hurled gusts of wind that sent things flying all over the place. Cyclone then entered through the hole he created seeing all the people he had injured as well as the people cowering from him.

"Relax, everyone…Zhere's more to come…" Cyclone announced as his red-eyed googles continued looking at his surroundings. Soon enough, Beetle made his entrance blasting a hole through the building using his propulsion cannon.

The bug-costumed villain zipped around the hallway relishing himself as he swooped to pick up an innocent bystander lifting him into the air before blasting him to pieces. May wanted to calm everyone down but given the circumstances she had to cower in fear as the two of them menaced the rest.

Soon Chameleon entered the foray casually flanked by a group of five men carrying rifles as he signalled Beetle and Cyclone to stop what they were doing. "People of Queens, just sit down and relax. You're all going to be fine from now on…. That's if…Spider-Man doesn't show up to try and save you…" Chameleon said behind his fake mask.

Chameleon then motioned an order to Beetle and Cyclone, "You two…Fly away, I'll take it from here." Beetle and Cyclone looked at each other with confusion before agreeing and doing exactly what they were told. "That's it?" Beetle said as he flew off.

Chameleon then turned his attention around to the rest of the people as he began talking. "I understand what's troubling all of you lately. Your neighbourhood is under siege isn't it? How many of you want a guy like Hammerhead locked up? Hm?" Chameleon said staring at the people around him while his men pointed their rifles.

"You're the Chameleon right?" A man shouted, "We heard about you on the news." Chameleon turned his attention to a man wearing winter clothes as he tried to stand up against him. "The Chameleon?" Chameleon laughed before saying a word, "Who's to say I am the Chameleon? Maybe I'm just his enforcer."

"Well you gave the orders right to those two right?" The man said. "Oh maybe I'm just a second-in-command…" Chameleon said, "Maybe I'm just good at….Deception!" Without warning, Chameleon took out a knife and threw it into the man's neck killing him.

Chameleon then clicked his fingers for the men to fire. Bullets started to fly as more people fell to the ground dead before May bravely stood up. "Stop!" May cried out drawing Chameleon's attention before Chameleon had to stop the firing.

"Ah… The very person I wanted to see… May Parker." Chameleon said walking up to her, "Your nephew doing okay?" "What are you doing?" May questioned when Chameleon mentioned him. "I read up a lot about you, mam. I'm sorry for what happened to your husband." Chameleon said with a smile.

"Unless you know him then don't talk to me like that…." May said with fury. "Oh no… Of course not, he's dead." Chameleon said before laughing. Furious, May punched Chameleon on the face drawing the attention from the rest of the crowd.

"Just like my step-family…" Chameleon said rubbing his face before walking up with his plasma knife and threatening May with it. Suddenly the lights went out, letting people panic all over the place before they flashed which eventually lead to Negative Spider-Man appearing.

Spider-Man took out the men holding the people hostage which allowed some of them to start escaping. Chameleon held onto May by arm while trying to pinpoint where Spider-Man was as he zip-zapped across the building. The webslinger then landed in front of Chameleon in his costume.

"I wonder… Do you still have the heart to care about others?" Chameleon questioned as he noted the photonegative black and white costume. Peter then furiously shot out a web but not before Chameleon put a knife in the gut for May.

Consumed by rage, Peter pushed Chameleon to the ground and tried to punch his enemy out. Chameleon retaliated in return by holding onto the next incoming fist before headbutting. "Has that rage been hidden inside you all this time, Peter?" Chameleon wondered.

As the two started fighting, people were doing their best to escape the ensuing chaos that was brewing. To stir things up, Chameleon took out a few grenades and threw them at certain directions sending some people flying.

But to Peter, all that mattered was his enemies being destroyed that the only civilian lives he could care for truly were the ones close to him. Even with the negative powers, Peter could not keep up pace with the agility of Chameleon.

The hand-to hand combat got stressful for Peter as even his webs were negated by Chameleon's preciseness with his hand-held plasma knife. Blinded by the rage caused by the negative powers, Peter wanted to comprehend how Chameleon was even keeping up considering how easy it was with Kangaroo and even Shocker to an extent.

The fight came to an end when Chameleon stabbed Peter in the abdomen and body-slammed him onto the ground. Peter groaned as his eyes saw Chameleon as a shadowy silhouette with red glowing eyes.

"You fought well for a schoolboy infused with a gift. But as a long-time expert, you'll understand why experience pays off over the years…" Chameleon said as he began to draw more blood out of Peter. Before anything happened, a blast of negative energy was shot across the room hitting Chameleon.

Chameleon skidded across the room as it was revealed that Martin Li had entered the F.E.A.S.T. centre when everyone else had run out. Martin walked in with his signature black suit and tie as his eyes glowed white after throwing that shot at Chameleon.

Before he approached Chameleon, Martin walked up to Peter first and foremost and placed his hand on his chest. The photonegative black and white colouring started to disappear on Peter as Martin took in the energy from him.

The transfer of energy turned Martin from being normal looking to a photonegative state where his hair changed white as well his face turning black. His clothing had also been inverted as he absorbed the energy returning Peter to his original red and blue state.

Martin directed his attention to Chameleon who got back up and saw Martin approaching him. Out of his hand, Martin produced a blackened sword brimming with bio-electrical energy. Chameleon was surprised to see all of this and before Martin could attack, Chameleon threw a smoke grenade which prevented him from going any further.

A few more explosion sounds were heard as Chameleon dropped a couple proper grenades onto the ground before disappearing through a hole he created on the wall. Martin could not detect where the assassin went to and decided to turn his attention back to the people around him.

His photonegative colouring went away as he observed his surroundings as the building was damaged as well as being caught in flames in a couple of places. Martin was also distressed at the sight of dead people as well as the sight of a few who were injured. Then he saw May lying on the floor and went over to her.

Meanwhile Peter regained consciousness and looked around for a bit seeing that his whole world had returned to normal. Confused at first, he then saw Martin next to May as it seemed like he was trying to help her up.

Gathering all his strength, Peter hobbled all the way to where Martin is and in concern asked, "Is she okay?" It took a few seconds before Martin answered, "She will be fine… Don't worry, I'll call the ambulance." Peter wished he could say more but knowing that his concern could reveal his identity in front of Martin, Peter simply left and swung off.

Police sirens drew closer to the F.E.A.S.T. centre as Peter swung further. Perching on another building, Peter thought in silence as he watched the police enter the building, "What have I done?"

* * *

 _11:30 pm Forest Hills Community Hospital…_

May was immediately rushed to her local hospital after the attack where Peter in his normal civilian clothing came to visit. "Is she really going to be okay?" Peter asked the doctor. "She may have taken a knife to the gut but…She'll be fine." The doctor assured outside of May's room. "Dr. Bromwell, the patient…" A nurse called out.

The doctor immediately walked back in leaving Peter alone. Eventually, Peter was told to leave and give May time to recover. On the way out, Peter saw Frank Oliver being carried out on a wheel-bed to an armoured police truck in which he saw the damage he had inflicted when he was possessed by the negative power.

This night has been the roughest and walking home to his house, Peter had a tear come down as he reflected on his actions.

* * *

 _8:30 am Midtown High School…_

The atmosphere at school changed for Peter ever since the attack, he couldn't look anyone properly in the eye. Ned was ignored in an instance and even Flash, who'd pick on him decided to be more reasonable today. "I'm sorry with what happened, Peter." Flash tried to said.

These words may have been more comforting if Flash was still his friend, but regardless Peter kept on walking. Gwen Stacy looked from afar as Peter went to his locker. She wanted to comfort Peter but at that time she was uncomfortable at the consequences she might unintentionally bring on him.

* * *

 _3:30 pm F.E.A.S.T. centre…_

Once the routine of school was over, Peter went over to the F.E.A.S.T. centre which was replaced by 'crime scene' tape as well as renovation stands for repairs. Peter stared from a distance feeling the weight of his guilt come over him. "It's all my fault…" Peter said to himself repeatedly in his head.

While he was staring silently, he failed to notice Gwen walk up to him. Gwen stood beside Peter and stared at the F.E.A.S.T. centre as well. "Don't try to comfort me." Peter said. "This usually is the time we do the volunteering. Peter…I…I'm sorry for what happened. I know you're not feeling well." Gwen said.

Peter wanted to bring himself closer to her but in the end, his sadness and anger got to him. "I better go, I'm sorry for looking all weird here." Peter said shaking his head before leaving. "Peter…" Gwen said as she watched him walk away in a depressed stance.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	10. Beetle in the Cyclone

SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 10)

 **Note: Hope everyone is enjoying Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse in cinemas right now…**

 _4:30 pm Forest Hills Community Hospital…_

Peter sat next to Aunt May's bedside as he watched over May's recovery. "The more I get involved, the more Chameleon will do to hurt anyone close to me." Peter thought to himself, "How am I going to stop this?"

Aunt May opened her eyes a little to see her nephew sitting there. "There's my nephew…" May said with a smile on her face. "Eh.. Is everything okay with you?" Peter asked. "Everything is fine, Peter. I'll make a recovery as fast as possible…" May replied.

Peter grabbed her hand and assured that this was the case. "You'll be okay for sure…" Peter said. May laughed a little, "As soon as I leave the bed, I'll be working in no time again…" "Whoa… Hold on, May please… You have to take it easy." Peter said.

"Oh you know me… I don't back down." May said. "I'm serious, just take some time to recover." Peter replied. May sighed before nodding, "The whole F.E.A.S.T. shelter really came down today, didn't it? To be honest, I was really surprised when the place was attacked."

"Well, I gotta say that Chameleon is doing a terrible job in trying to become a new crime lord. He's seems to be blowing his covers left and right for a guy that's supposed to be sneaky." Peter said. "The one thing I didn't understand more was… How did he know my name?" May questioned.

Peter said nothing before May talked, "I'm not afraid of him. I've been through a lot in my life that things like him don't put me down." "You gotta play it, Aunt May. He knows how to look for people." Peter warned.

"I know." May said before her phone on the desk rang. "I'll get that.." Peter said getting up and giving the phone to her. May had received a message from Martin Li regarding her work. 'Take some time to rest for now.' The message read.

"Even Martin's saying the same thing you said…" May said examining the message. The doctor looking after May then walked in with a nurse into the room. "Mr. Parker, we need to do a vital check with your aunt right now." The doctor said.

"Thank you, Dr. Bromwell…" Peter said smiling to both the doctor and nurse as he was about to leave. Peter gave one last look at May before departing the hospital.

* * *

 _5:50 pm Forest Hills police precinct…_

TEARFUL WOES FOR VICTIMS OF F.E.A.S.T. TRAGEDY

By Frederick Foswell

 _Last night, the community of Queens and even more so, the city of New York had been struck by tragedy at a local F.E.A.S.T. centre. 10 injured and 15 dead after an attack caused by the uprising crime lord known as The Chameleon._

 _In a direct assault, Chameleon led the charge with seven other men including Abner Jenkins and Andr_ _é_ _Gerard have caused $5 million worth of damage against F.E.A.S.T. Martin Li, the founder of the F.E.A.S.T. organisation has offered his condolences to victims as well as condemnation for the attackers._

" _Here at F.E.A.S.T., we strive to support all of those who are in trouble. To say sorry is not enough, these attackers must face justice for lives that were unfairly stolen. My heart goes out to all those affected including the world that is watching." Li stated._

 _Also involved in the incident was Spider-Man, who arrived at the scene to fight off Chameleon but in doing so has caused more trouble than good. The popularity of the vigilante has decreased considerably with many being more open to his arrest._

" _We deserve to know more about him more than ever." One witness said, "It's around two and a half years that he's been allowed to do what he does. We need to open this situation up a bit more." In contrast, Martin Li is surprisingly rather supportive of Spider-Man saying, "We shouldn't lose faith in him. I wish every good civilian will be willing to put their support behind him. He may make mistakes, but I see a good heart."_

 _In other related news, Frank Oliver has been transported out of Forest Hills Community Hospital to the Raft temporarily for safekeeping until the situation at Queens clears. Meanwhile, Herman Schultz is being imprisoned in an unspecified location due to safety concerns._

George put aside the Daily Bugle paper as he sipped his coffee. "My god…" George said rubbing his forehead, "One thing after another." "Deputy Stacy?" Captain Saito said knocking on his office door, "The commissioner is here."

George grumbled as he got up to meet up with his superior. He entered the captain's room where the commissioner, Bethany McGraw was seated with some paperwork. "Gentlemen, please take a seat." The old woman requested.

Saito and Stacy sat as requested before listening to the commissioner. "As you two and the rest of the precinct is aware… Forest Hills has been taking some pretty major hits as of late." The commissioner briefed, "I'm gonna give this place some special orders on my account."

"Okay…What's the special order?" George asked. "This precinct will be one of the first to receive anti-vibranium equipment." Bethany explained as she presented a paper that detailed description of a strange material labelled 'DB-127'.

"Forensics aren't able to comprehend what they were looking at. But using a combination of both physics and chemistry, we were able to discover that DB-127 is a lump of matter that can pulls apart energy bonds from certain sources. In this case, we can counteract the absorbent characteristic of vibranium." Bethany continued.

A black and white photo of what looked like an explosion of unstable energy was presented to George and the captain. "It's a bit lethal but the results are effective…" Bethany explained, "We're currently raiding hidden vibranium supplies all over town with this thing." "Uh.. Commissioner? How did this DB-127 come to be?" George questioned.

Bethany sighed before admitting the truth, "We had to get ourselves a little dirty. A gift from the men Hammerhead had hired." "The demon-masked people? Why? No offence, Beth. But I think what we're taking is going to benefit us all the way through." George argued.

Captain Saito nodded surprisingly before saying a word, "I'd give it a chance but this also warrants an investigation." "Thanks, cap. I'm glad you're questioning just like me…" George stated. "By the way, thank you for being here. Best of luck to this team." Bethany said before leaving.

"Oh, George… I gotta a favour for you…" Captain Saito requested. "Tell me…" George said. "Herman Schultz managed to scribble out some things the other night. This could be the task I'm giving you now." Captain Saito said handing out a paper from his pocket.

"Oh good…" George said looking through the handwriting, "Seems like a bunch of places mixed in with what he knows about the scary-masked people. I knew he'd come around."

* * *

 _6:15 pm Leeds residence…_

Peter swung by in his costume with a takeaway meal bag and knocked on the basement door at Ned's house. The door opened to which Ned and Phillip were surprised. "Peter? Is that really you?" Ned asked. Peter pulled up his mask a little, "Yeah, it's me. Can I come in?"

"Uh, sure… Wow, you're not black and white anymore." Ned noted. "What?" Peter questioned as he stepped inside to sit down. "Hey Peter… Remember me?" Phillip asked. "Yeah, why are you two acting suspicious?" Peter said looking at his friends.

"To put it simply, you weren't yourself as of late…" Phillip said. "You went AWOL the moment you finished your fight with the Kangaroo." Ned said. "I did? Yeah, uh… About that." Peter said with regret in his eyes.

"So yeah, this might sound crazy… But I think I went into another dimension. I had a voice that was trying to tell me to beat people without mercy. The next thing I know was that Aunt May got hurt when I went to fight Chameleon…. And then I ask myself, 'What have I done?'" Peter explained.

"Sounds like mind control… Did you find out what it is?" Phillip asked. "No, I know that the masked people were the ones who probably started this. They may have healed my broken bones but they tried taking my mind away." Peter said.

"Speaking of masked men, uh…We actually…um…Went to Chinatown at Flushing to speak with the triads about it." Ned said. "Ned!" Phillip hissed. "Really? I mean that's stupid… But what did you gain out of it?" Peter asked.

"Nothing…Except some threats and one that may cost Phil his life." Ned answered sheepishly. "Great, guess I'll go there for two things then." Peter said getting up, "Coincidently, Flushing Chinatown is the same place Martin Li is setting up his new office at."

"Hold on…" Phillip said, "Martin Li? Forgive me if this sounds weird… But what if he's got a story in all of this?" "Martin's just the guy who runs F.E.A.S.T. The only involvement I'm seeing is that his place got attacked and he's not happy about it." Peter answered, "I don't know… I might have a peak at what the place looks like."

"Anything's worth a try…" Phillip said opening up his laptop on the coffee table. "You know… Is it okay if I start eating?" Peter asked as he got out a hamburger from his takeaway bag and took a bite. Before he could dive in more, Ned's phone rang.

"Hi, is this Ned Leeds? It's me, Captain George Stacy…Well, former captain. We met after the incident at JFK airport. Listen, do you have time?" George's voice came in. "It's Gwen's dad…" Ned said to both Peter and Phillip. "Uh, I have time… What do you want, officer?" Ned asked.

"Well, I remembered you told me that you know how to reach Spider-Man…" George said, "You gotta any ways in which I can contact him? It's for an investigation." "Uh…" Ned said looking at Peter. "He's looking for you…" Ned whispered to Peter.

Peter then grabbed the phone as he munched on a fry, "Hello?" "Spider-Man? Is that really you? The real you? Boy, do I need your help right now…" George asked. "Spill it out, officer…" Peter replied. "Not now… Could you try meeting me at the rooftop of the Forest Hills police precinct? I'm sure you'll be grateful to hear me out." George said, "I have some leads regarding both Chameleon and Hammerhead."

"Okay, sit tight then…" Peter said before hanging up the phone and passing it back to Ned. "It could be a trap, Peter." Phillip said, "You're not a friend to the police. And the public to a degree." "It's not going to stop me. There's only so much Chameleon can do to hurt me." Peter insisted.

"Oh no… Sounds like you're channelling that negativity again." Ned said. Peter calmed down before saying a word, "Just don't eat my food." "Don't forget to use my upgrades this time." Ned said reminding Peter of the upgrades he was given beforehand.

* * *

 _6:32 pm Forest Hills police precinct…_

George waited alone on top of the precinct before seeing Spider-Man swing by and reach the rooftop that he is standing on. "I'm glad to see that you're wearing red and blue again." George noted as Peter stood there.

"Well, I can safely say that I'm back to my senses…" Peter said. "I gotta guilt-trip you, so bear with me." George said as he grabbed out a document folder from his jacket. "Full physical assault against Frank Oliver alongside the seven men at a former Maggia bar. Hurting I guess four other men when you were chasing down Herman Schultz. And unfortunately… The stuff at F.E.A.S.T." George stated.

"What? Why are the police trying to pin the F.E.A.S.T. stuff on me?" Peter questioned. "Don't worry, it's not murder. They're charging you for 'vigilantism'. Which to me is the most ridiculous part." George said. "All of those people at F.E.A.S.T., it's all my fault... Isn't it?" Peter said in a disappointed tone.

George placed a hand on Peter's shoulder, "I don't blame you, despite all that aggressiveness, you held back tremendously…Please at least tell me, if your photonegative black and white suit was more than just a cosmetic." George then showed Peter a full-coloured picture of the suit. "Yeah, it was more than that." Peter said looking at the photo, "That's an impressive photo. Who took it?"

"Some guy from the Daily Globe. He knows his cameras. Anyway… I want to know if you're up for a task." George wondered. "Name it…" Peter said. "So… When we arrested Herman Schultz. We got some answers from him regarding vibranium stock locations in which if we could target them successfully, we have a better chance in bringing both Chameleon and Hammerhead down."

"I want to know if you're willing to go here as part of my request. A big chunk of resources are said to be located at a dock around College Point. According to Schultz, it's where at least two of Chameleon's top men have been stationed." George said.

"So I'm Spider-Cop now? Great…" Peter said, "I don't know if I want to do this." "I guess it's up to you. Do you have any other plans?" George questioned. "Uh…I was going to do an investigation on the source of my mind-control." Peter replied.

"Maybe you'll find answers there. That place could be targeted by what I'm gonna call 'Demons'. If you can help me find out any suspicious activity, report it to me and I'll be the one to relay the message for the rest." George instructed before handing out a digital walkie talkie.

"I understand if you wanna keep that identity of yours a secret, so all I'm asking is that you can do the right thing again." George said, "Please be smart about it." George then walked away and left the rooftop leaving Peter to ponder on what to do.

Peter looked at the walkie talkie and decided to go through with the request as a testament to get pay back against Chameleon for hurting Aunt May. "I'm not possessed now. So hopefully I do all this properly." Peter said reflecting on his times as Negative Spider-Man.

* * *

 _7:35 pm College Point Docks…_

Peter arrived feeling a little exhausted that he had to swing all the way to the point where he could see Ryker's Island, the one place where most bad guys in New York would go. While he had superhuman stamina, Peter never forgot that he was once a normal human.

"Ah, there's Ryker's Island over there on the East River. A place where I think most of these guys will be sent to once all of this is over." Peter noted as he perched and saw the island in the distance. Taking the walkie talkie out of the utility belt given to him by Ned, Peter informed George.

"I can see Ryker's Island from where I'm standing, is this the place?" Peter questioned. "Yes, possibly. You're at College Point right?" George asked. Taking out his phone and accessing the map application, Peter confirmed it, "Yep."

"Okay, let me know about anything if you find anything." George said before switching off. Peter then turned on the earpiece to talk to Ned, "Hey, I don't know if you're listening right now. But I've got a thing from the deputy I'm doing, so sit tight." Switching off the earpiece, Peter went to work.

"It seems pretty abandoned here. Perfect place for bad guy hiding…" Peter acknowledged as he made his way around the docks. There was one small warehouse alongside a few several containers scattered about. "I guess all the docks are in Manhattan…" Peter said swinging closer to the warehouse.

As soon as Peter peered into the open window, he saw all kinds of suspicious looking things. "Doesn't look like anyone is in there at the moment." Peter commented before finding a way inside through the window. Crawling about, Peter dropped down onto the floor to begin a bit of detective work.

"No lights, no problem." Peter said remembering the flashlight lens Ned had given him. The place illuminated with Peter finding all sorts of things. "Just looks like a run of the mill warehouse. Not as bombastic as the one where I found the Oscorp blueprints." Peter thought reminding himself of the time he went to Mason Consolidated Repairs.

Within the warehouse, Peter found boxes concealing vibranium on shelves confirming George's suspicions as well as Herman's writing that this place is being used. Peter then got out the walkie talkie and tried talking to George. "This place is definitely hiding stuff." Peter informed.

"Thanks, anything else?" George asked after a few seconds. "I'll get back to you." Peter said switching off the walkie talkie. Peter then saw a couple of desks that look as if they have blueprints spread out with toolboxes and such.

But before Peter could interact with anything else, his Spidey-sense went off in response to door unlocking sound click behind him. "Oh god, where do I hide?" Peter wondered before making the decision to simply hide behind a desk.

The lights within the warehouse were turned on which made Peter realise that he had to turn off the flashlight in his lens. As he was attempting this, Peter heard two voices from afar and recognised one voice as Beetle's.

"We better finish up on the few things we're working on before we rat out of his crusade…" Beetle's voice said. "For once, I agree. Our talents are hindered as long as we follow his orders." Cyclone's voice replied, "This cause is indeed lost."

The two walked over to separate desks and opened up separate tool boxes. As Peter turned off the flashlights in his eye lens he watched closely at what the two were up to. Beetle and Cyclone were partially in costume with their masks removed and as they conversed.

"So lucky to get my hands over this vibranium." Beetle said with a snicker as he took out a strange-looking device that resembles a blowtorch out of the toolbox, "From the rich capital of Birnin Zana." "Zat thing is used to reconfigure ze shape of vibranium, you imbecile." Cyclone scolded.

"Shut up, wind boy…I'll sizzle you." Beetle snapped by pointing the device at Cyclone. "You don't want to ruin things just now…" Cyclone warned. As the two argued, Peter made note of the device Beetle was holding.

"Looks like their crafting tool is also a dismantling tool." Peter noted before he continued observing the scene. "Zese fine materials all from ze depths of Wakanda are our salvation." Cyclone said, "We would prosper by selling zese on ze market."

"Oh, if I ever had to face bug man again…" Peter said to himself as he tried to formulate a plan to take both of them out. "Sell them?!" Beetle decried not liking the idea of giving away the precious metal. At this moment, Peter's plan was to kill the lights in the warehouse.

Aiming an electrical web shot at the ceiling lights, Peter shot out a web that broke the light bulb. "What the…" Beetle said looking around in confusion. Peter turned on his night vision mode in the dark and snatched the device out of Beetle's hand with a web.

Cyclone put on his mask quickly in the dark and scanned his environment through his goggles. "You guys really hanging around these generic warehouses, right?" Peter said in the dark. "It's Spider-Man!" Cyclone proclaimed as he pointed his wind turbine gauntlets all over the place.

Without warning, Cyclone shot out his high-velocity winds in different directions in hopes that Peter could get hit. The winds tore down some of the warehouse's structure leaving parts of it exposed to the outside. Debris was sent flying as well as shelves that had boxes of the vibranium hit the floor. Despite all this, the boxes withstood the fall keeping the vibranium stable.

"Quit it!" Beetle said as soon as he put on his mask before restraining Cyclone, "You're going to mess up our things!" Using his jetpack, Beetle flew out of the warehouse and observed from a bird's eye point of view to see where the webslinger is.

Sure enough, he saw Spider-Man just standing on top of a roof. "Hey bug man, I'm pretty sure there's a lot of me if you're looking through compound eyes." Peter called out. Beetle swooped down extending a blade on top of one hand and attacked.

Peter moved around quickly on the rooftop as Beetle tried to cut him down. "So you survived Chameleon back at the F.E.A.S.T. centre, huh?" Beetle asked. "Sure…A little stab in the tummy isn't worth the discouragement for me to stop you guys." Peter replied. "Keep joking, you won't laugh when I leave my second mark on you!" Beetle said as Peter continued dodging.

"Second or third…I'm not underestimating you this time." Peter said as he caught Beetle's blade by the side. "This vibranium really does wonders…" Beetle said as he tried to push the blade against him. Meanwhile, Cyclone levitated himself upwards to see Spider-Man and Beetle fighting.

"Move out of the way, Abner. I've got zis." Cyclone insisted as he pointed his gauntlets. "Your little air-conditioning tools won't help!" Beetle yelled. As Peter saw that Beetle was annoyed by Cyclone's presence, he punched Beetle right across the face leaving a crack on the left compound eye.

"So which one of you should I be more worried about? Which one is the smart one?" Peter asked hoping to trigger a little conflict between the two. "Of course, me. Why would you be worried about a guy who shoots air?" Beetle said as he chased Peter across the docks.

"You cannot grasp ze devastation ze gauntlets could cause with ze vibranium added!" Cyclone argued as he decided to fire a blast of high-velocity wind. "For the last time, stop that!" Beetle called out as shipping containers were moved a little.

"Aw, I don't know how to describe you two… Either you're an estranged couple or you're two little children." Peter said as he continued moving around, "Hey bug man, what other gimmicks can you do?" "If you insist…" Beetle said as he stopped mid-air to grab out the same repulsion cannon behind his back which Peter had seen before.

Instead of an repulsion blast, Beetle shot out high vibration air blasts that knocked back shipping containers and forced Peter to move out of the way. "I see you're copying Shocker and Kangaroo with that blast." Peter noted. "This is more superior than their stupid hand gloves!" Beetle proclaimed.

"He has a point, Abner. What's ze point of implementing the mistake of ze other two…" Cyclone said. Peter then shot out some webs at Beetle's directions blinding both his eyes and trapping his feet, he then rushed forward and knocked the cannon away before zipping under Beetle.

Peter grabbed out the blowtorch looking device he took out of Beetle's hand from his belt and tried to figure out how to use it in order to disrupt the vibranium coating on Beetle's jetpack. Pushing the grip, Peter unleashed a blue flame cutting apart the coating smoothly and exposing the inner components of Beetle's jetpack.

Cyclone then unleashed another fury of wind knocking both Spider-Man and Beetle back and close to the river water. "My hands and feet are all sticky!" Beetle complained as he tried to rid himself of the webbing. The device that Peter used was knocked into the water which meant that Peter had to struggle with what he has on land.

Reaching for the inside of Beetle's jetpack, Peter tore out some wires sending sparks. Most of Beetle's technological systems were shut down. Enraged, the lower jaw of Beetle's mask unveiled mechanical jaws reflecting a stag beetle's. Beetle turned around for a moment and tried biting Peter.

Because of the suit's limitations now, Peter shoved Beetle away before the jaws clamped on him. He then shoved Beetle's face downwards onto the concrete ground with his jaws sticking him. "That was neat but have fun staring face down…" Peter said as he webbed Beetle flat on the ground.

"Argh!" Beetle yelled in frustration as he could not move. Turning his attention to Cyclone, Peter watched as he slowly levitated himself downwards from the air. "Hey there, I don't think we interacted much. Nice blue suit by the way." Peter said.

"You're a nuisance. I'm so glad we didn't meet all zat much…" Cyclone said looking through his red-eyed lens. "I'm sorry, what do they call you?" Peter jokingly asked, "I heard bug man say that you're a wind guy. I want to call you so many things."

"You may address me as 'Cyclone', if zat satisfies you." Cyclone said as he readied himself. "OK, OK, before you blow me away. Let me ask… Is that suit comfortable?" Peter said trying to delay Cyclone. "It's protective against za winds I fire." Cyclone remarked as Peter prepared to move.

Peter moved as soon as Cyclone fired zipping away using the objects around the docks. Cyclone shot out destructive winds that were strong but not as strong as the vibration air blasts Peter faced from his previous enemies. A few scraps of debris had been hurled in the midst of the blast.

"You know I think your buddy was right about you. In a way…" Peter said perching on shipping container that rolled into the river, "Those winds kind of suit themselves more for a hot summers day instead of combat."

"You zink?" Cyclone questioned as he tried firing again. "Yeah, I mean there's so much more to those." Peter commented. "Zat's ze problem… I can't go back to my old life." Cyclone said as he fired a gust of wind.

Peter held onto the shipping container as much as long as he could before being swept away and landed his back on the ground. Cyclone moved towards him and gloated, "Do you feel ze power now?" "Nah, those things are way too cute…" Peter said still lying on the ground.

"Now that you're not in zat black and white suit anymore. I don't think I have to worry about my gauntlets being bust." Cyclone said seeing that Peter is not Negative Spider-Man. "Yeah, kind of cool that I'm myself again…" Peter said as tried picking himself up.

After Cyclone came close, he attempted to punch Peter right across the face. Peter caught the hand before Cyclone activated his gauntlets once again. Peter hit his back but got up as fast as possible. He then looked back at the damaged warehouse behind him.

The mess caused by Cyclone gave Peter an idea. "I gotta get rid of his gloves." Peter said looking around for something he could use. "Even if my blasts don't hurt at first… They make it hard for you to come near me." Cyclone said.

"I see…" Peter said before swinging a box of vibranium at him. Cyclone attempted to brush the obstacle away but because vibranium withstands high-velocity winds, the box landed onto Cyclone's gauntlets scraping parts of it.

"Merde!" Cyclone cursed in his native language before Peter rushed up and landed a swift kick onto his face. With the gauntlets busted, Cyclone could only try and escape. However Peter webbed him down leaving the former French mechanic struggling.

"One of zese days, I'll make a suit beyond your imagination!" Cyclone said tied down. "I agree, though I promise that won't happen. You're pretty much a second rate Herman Schultz." Peter said, "Destined to obscurity."

"Shut your mouth! I'll make a suit zat could generate winds zat would…" But before Cyclone could finish talking, Peter shut his mouth with a web. "I don't want to talk too much… So I'll leave you at that." Peter said, "Mind if I search your place?"

Peter then remembered he had a camera stored in his belt buckle that was given to him by Ned. He took it out and decided to photograph some significant things until the authorities would arrive to pick off the latest henchmen of Chameleon.

* * *

 _9:05 pm Forest Hills police precinct rooftop…_

"Nice work tonight…" George commented looking through the photos. "That was a tremendous amount of work done. Don't worry about the property damage, no one's used that place in a long time." "Gee… I'm glad I took care of those guys. Helps when they're narcistic." Peter commented.

"Which is why teamwork is important…" George said, "Anyway, we still have so much ground to cover despite all that. It's not the last of Chameleon's people by the way." "It isn't?" Peter said before realising about Eel.

"How did you fight off a bunch of guys with vibranium by the way?" George asked, "Was it those freaky negative powers of yours?" "No… They had a bunch of other things shipped all the way from Wakanda." Peter answered, "They got their hands on some crafting tools as well."

"Well, this sort of thing may attract some interesting people to you, that's for sure…" George said. "What?" Peter asked. "I'm saying that if vibranium is involved, some interesting people might look at you by the time the media posts about it." George replied, "Was there anyone else at the docks?"

"No…No 'Demons' by the way." Peter said, "Looking forward to answers when I head to Flushing." "You know our precinct is being commissioned to equip ourselves with a thing labelled 'DB-127'. It's said to counteract vibranium by dissociating the energy bonds on it. I personally think there's something fishy with that stuff." George said moving onto the next topic.

"DB-127?" Peter questioned, "What is that?" "It's a strange energy matter. I have no idea how we got our hands on it. But I don't feel confident in it." George said, "It kind of reminded me of your black and white suit."

"Well if that stuff is the reason for my mind-control. I guess I'll look into it." Peter said, "I guess I'll head to my next destination. Good night… Deputy." Peter then leaped away into the night and swung to the direction of Flushing.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	11. The Inner Demons

SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 11)

 _9:40 pm Flushing Chinatown…_

Early on, Peter had made his way to Flushing under both Deputy George Stacy's as well as Phillip Chang's request to investigate the mystery in Chinatown. The demonic masked men who had possessed him beforehand were no doubt new players in the whole struggle, even if Hammerhead was the one who hired them.

"Seems like Mr. H really likes inviting the wrong kinds of people." Peter thought to himself as he swung near the area. He remembered a time where he, Harry and Mary Jane have come to the Chinatown for a night out. There was hardly a time to worry about criminal activity.

As of this time, shady business has its place. The triad gangs that plague New York are usually on the move carrying out narcotics business and such with the police being outgunned against them. Peter perched on top of a building where he observed restaurants and other stores closing down.

He then called Phillip and Ned on the earpiece for further information. "So…What's the place you guys walked into when looking for answers, huh?" Peter asked. "It's a place called Golden Fujian. You'll know the place when you see the big fake gold Chinese characters. It's a good restaurant for the most part…" Phillip replied through the earpiece.

"Thanks Phil…" Peter said turning the earpiece off. Peter then looked around the street noting the pedestrians walking by as well as the vehicles driving. "I kinda want to see Martin Li's new office first…" Peter thought to himself, "Need to know if that place is okay…"

Peter travelled to an old narrow soup kitchen first where the F.E.A.S.T. banner was placed above the building entrance. On top of the first floor was the office floor with one of the lights in the window shining. The other was just a dark empty room that had nothing as soon as Peter used his flashlight lens to examine the place.

Peter crawled towards the other window with the lights on. The office had pretty much all the things Peter expected. A desk with a laptop; stacks of paperwork as well as furniture. A family picture could also be seen with two Chinese parents and a little boy. "Looks pretty swell…Wonder if the soup kitchen is going to open soon."

Peter then pulled himself away as soon as he saw Martin Li walk into the room with a plastic bag carrying Chinese takeaway. Afterwards he looked into the office again as he watched Martin turn on his laptop from behind. As soon as the laptop was on, Peter saw that Martin was currently looking through his emails.

Martin opened up an email to which Peter noted was titled 'Redevelopment plans'. Peter carefully observed Martin go through the email and made note of what was written. "What the hell?" Peter whispered to himself.

 _Subject: Redevelopment plans_

 _Dear Mr. Li,_

 _We hear from you. Our organisation understands your concerns regarding criminal activity in your area. At this moment, we are busy dealing with other enquiries made against our company. Thank you for your patience._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Fisk Corporations_

"Always a choice between Oscorp and Fisk, eh? That sure is another battle going on in New York. Not one I want to be involved with right now." Peter said to himself as he attempted to take a photo of the email. In the attempt to capture the moment, Peter's hand were not exactly tight and the camera slipped.

Panicking, Peter dropped down a little catching the falling camera with a string of web. He then quickly scurried to another side of the building with the camera dangling as he heard Martin open up the window. "Much better…" He heard Martin say before he went back to work.

"Seems like Mr. Li is pretty hard at work. Doesn't seem like anything is out of the usual…" Peter said, "I better check the place I'm supposed to go for proper answers." After putting the camera back inside the belt buckle, Peter made the swing for Golden Fujian ready to take on the triad gangs.

* * *

 _9:43 pm Chameleon's hideout…_

Arriving at the quiet suburban area of Jamaica, Hammerhead's men received notice of the news regarding the capture of both Abner Jenkins and André Gerard. With no one else to worry about, it was time to launch a big assault at Chameleon.

Eel, who had been working under Chameleon's nose the entire time was ready to lead a number of Hammerhead's men into the little penthouse Chameleon likes to hide in. A red and white sedan stopped in front of the house with Eel coming out of the red one and not in costume.

Four men were tasked with carrying two timer bomb explosive boxes to bring down the house. Eel, who was in his civilian identity of Edward Lavell had the authoritative charisma of command as he watched the men break down the front gate and knock down the front door.

The men marched forward like worker ants ready to place down the boxes in specific places for the whole house to come down. Eel watched the front of the house with the rest of the men as he listened for the sounds of mumbling.

"God, this thing is heavy…" A voice complained. "It's why these things pack a lot of punch…" Another said as they talked about the explosives. "They better be experts in this…" Eel said snickering as he telling the men around him.

After a few seconds went by, another man's voice was heard. "Hey, there's something stuck in this oven!" The voice cried out. "Is that another timer bomb?" The voice asked, "Who got here first?" "What are you doing?! You just triggered it!" Another voice yelled.

An orange explosion of fire quickly engulfed the house with one man being lifted in the air as the explosion got to him. Landing on the ground with a thud, the man attempted to stand up but was too injured. Eel approached him in front of the house gate and watched as the man begged for help.

"Help me…" The man said before Eel ordered one of the men to put a bullet in him. In an instance, the man was shot in the head by a handgun and laid head down on the ground. Eel watched as the house burned down and also noted that the neighbours may be disturbed.

"Let's go…" Eel instructed as they got back inside their cars and drove away. Eel then got out his phone and made a call to his superior. "We've taken care of the penthouse… But four of your guys paid the price. To be fair though, they were guys who sided with him." Eel said to Hammerhead.

"Pat yourself on the back, Mr. Lavell. I owe you one for the intel." Hammerhead replied on the phone, "It's time to deal with our other friends…" "Yes, sir…" Eel said as he ended the call.

* * *

 _9:49 pm Golden Fujian…_

White Dragon and his gang were prepared to close down the restaurant at 10 pm. Behind closed doors, the gang could discreetly pull off some of their shady dealings. Today, the gang was counting the amount of revenue they made from tax payments given to them from New York citizens terrorised.

Sitting around an encircled table with at least seven other men, White Dragon's beady eyes shuffled through the tax papers as the men passed them along after writing a few notes on them with pen. "This house isn't meeting the demands…" One gang member said in Hakka passing forward a paper.

White Dragon hastily grabbed the paper and read through it before scrunching the paper up. The triad crime lord got up from his seat and licked his razor sharp teeth. "Could it be the young boy's family?" White Dragon said referring to Phillip.

"It's an old lady and her son's. Should we give them an extension?" The gang member asked. "I'll think of something better…" White Dragon said smiling maliciously. The doors in the room suddenly opened with one of White Dragon's men being pushed forward by men wearing black and white demonic masks and carrying rifles.

One of the men spoke in Mandarin demanding an update on the progress of a drug's manufacture. "Your medicine can wait…" White Dragon snarled upon being interrupted. "Not anymore, he wants the new formula finalised…" The man informed pointing his rifle.

Meanwhile, Peter was making his way through the ventilation system which happened to be tighter than others he's been through. "Ugh…The stench in this place and the length of it…" Peter said as he crawled through. While he was making his way through the winding ventilation system, Peter contacted Phillip and Ned via the earpiece.

"So what can I expect from our dragon friend?" Peter asked wondering about his upcoming foe. "Bad breath. Bad teeth… A wierdo in a white suit and get this… He may actually be a 'mutant'." Phillip answered. "A mutant? You mean like a guy who was born with…" But before Peter could say a thing, Phillip corrected him. "Okay, probably not the right term. More like a guy who's been modified to uh… Do things hence his name."

"Okay, so he breathes fire…" Peter said leading to Phillip staying silent for a moment. "It's… Not quite fire. Just stay out of range." Phillip advised, "You know… It's like you're a level 5 player going against a level 20 boss enemy. Don't underestimate this dude."

Phillip turned off leaving Peter to wonder about things. "That video game analogy sure makes me uncomfortable. And it sure worked its way into Phil." Peter thought to himself. As Peter continued crawling, a rat came darting towards him before it turned its back away from him. "Oh gross…" Peter said as he worried about running into a swarm of rats.

Meanwhile the situation started to escalate inside the room. "Your resistance will not bode well…" The man in the demon mask insisted in Mandarin. "You answer to me…" White Dragon said, "I keep the community running and when they ask me for help, they give me their loyalty…" The masked men looked at each other before coming to a decision.

"Very well…" The masked man said pointing his rifle but before he could fire, one of White Dragon's men opened fire gunning him down. "We won't ever bow to the Demon…" White Dragon insisted before shouting 'attack' in Hakka. The place turned into a small warzone with White Dragon's men shooting down the demon masked men like flies.

Peter could hear the violence from a certain distance as he crawled his way towards the danger. Upon reaching the ventilation grating, he watched the last bit of gunfire being traded. The masked men who entered the room had been shot down. "Such a petty threat…" White Dragon said spitting on one of the corpses.

One man from White Dragon's crew who had been shot crawled on the ground as he tried to resist the pain. White Dragon picked him up and changed his skin colour to bright red. Peter watched as the crime lord's eyes turned yellow and at that moment, he saw what he was up against.

Fumes came out of his mouth causing the White Dragon's victim to gag. In a flash, Peter watched in horror as White Dragon breathed out fire onto the man. The instance reminded him of the Godzilla movies where Godzilla would breath out his atomic breath.

The man's remain were nothing but a pile of blackened ash as White Dragon's hand began to feel nothing but the air. "I'm afraid I can't afford the medical bills anymore…" White Dragon said in Hakka while his other men were looking away.

In a hurry, Peter came out the ventilation system and landed in the middle of the table. The triad gang were caught by surprise at the web-slinger's appearance. "Sorry to come in here… Chomposarus Rex. But there's quite a bit of stuff you're involved in." Peter said as the gang turned their attention.

"The Spider-Man…" White Dragon growled, "A nuisance in this city and the Demon's latest servant…" "The Demon's servant? Uh, can we backtrack to that part for a sec?" Peter asked. Instead of being annoyed, the White Dragon laughed.

"You can't escape his grasp that easily once you takes a hold of you. He holds a hand into every beating heart as he pleases…" White Dragon replied. Peter then felt a little dread as he thought about how the negative influence may still be in him.

"You look scared…" White Dragon said as he began to circle the table while his men were ready to open fire. "You're bluffing…" Peter laughed nervously, "I mean sure… You might know a thing about something but… I mean you literally are a dragon!"

"My powers are a special gift bestowed to me as I control this clan…" White Dragon boasted, "It is an inseparable gift of leadership." "Well whatever it is… I hope it's some kind of chilli powder." Peter said before realising that he should be interrogating for answers.

"Petty witticisms won't save you, I'm afraid." White Dragon said as he ordered his men to open fire. Peter leaped away as the table broke into pieces, once he was on the ground he kicked one of the men on the back. The men attempted to keep track with the agility but were no match.

Peter managed to swing back bits of broken table with one quip being, "Here's your takeaway." As this happened, White Dragon caught all the pieces of the broken table as Peter continued swinging them at him for as long as he could.

Alone in the room with unconscious and dead bodies, Peter faced the White Dragon as he took on his fighting stance. As White Dragon's skin turned red and eyes became yellow, Peter prepared as he fired a sizzling and smelly beam which created a gaping hole on the wall.

"I think you're better off using your fists…" Peter commented. "I can afford repairing this place anytime I want…" White Dragon said remaining in his mutated form. Peter tried webbing the crime lord but found that he could chew through the web with just his teeth as well as claw through with his nails.

"How does it taste?" Peter asked noting White Dragon's gnawing habits. "A fine dish for this place's main menu…" White Dragon said as he stomped his way towards Peter while a string of web hanged from his mouth. As the fight continued, another wave of similar demonic masked men made their way in carrying scythes, batons, katanas and even whips. All of which beamed with black electrical energy.

The men stopped with Peter addressing them. "I got this guys, don't worry…" Peter said pretending that they were still his allies. White Dragon felt more like a bumbling fool the moment he had crowd watching him. White Dragon opened his mouth wide open which gave Peter the chance to shoot balls of web into it.

The last shot had Peter hang onto the web string before sending forward an electrical current. Shocking White Dragon's tongue, the crime lord went down with Peter kicking him on the chin knocking him down. The White Dragon changed back to his human appearance after this.

Peter stood triumphantly while the masked men behind him started walking forward and enclosed around White Dragon. "Hey… Uh, what are you guys doing?" Peter asked seeing them surround the crime lord. The White Dragon groaned before one of the men kicked him and attempted to slice him down with a scythe.

In an instance, Peter shot out a web to stop the masked man from delivering a killing blow. "Can't you see he's beaten?" Peter asked holding on the web. Without a hesitation, Peter was knocked down by a man with a baton before other men jumped him and held him on the ground.

"What are you doing?!" Peter asked as he was pinned down by the strength of three men. Peter watched as the man with a scythe slashed White Dragon across the body causing him to scream in pain as the black energy accompanied the blow.

"Wait!" A voice called before anymore damage can be dealt to White Dragon. As the voice called out, Peter turned a little to see the men move aside for the leader or as White Dragon calls him, 'The Demon'. Unlike the rest of the men who wore standard black and white attire, the leader was a man wearing a black and white demonic mask that encased his entire head rather than a simple face mask.

The leader also wore a photonegative/monochromic suit and tie with the white colour forming the jacket, the trousers and the tie. The shirt was the one thing which was black. Peter also noted the black hands as well. He watched as the leader carried a katana sword sheathing with black electrical energy.

In the Demon's presence, Peter felt a sense of weakness and knew that this was the man who took control of him. The leader of the demon gang stopped in front of the helpless White Dragon and turned around to look at Peter as he watched helplessly while being pinned down.

"Today will be the day where I teach you something, Spider-Man." The Demon said in his distorted voice, "You've done a great service bringing him down." Peter attempted to speak before a baton struck across his face.

The Demon picked White Dragon by the head and dragged him with his sword on his opposite hand. "Do you know who this man is?" The Demon asked, "The suffering he has caused for many people?" Peter could not answer as he watched helplessly as the Demon smacked White Dragon across the face with his right hand.

White Dragon fell over before the Demon pinned him against the wall by shoving the katana sword onto his left shoulder. "This is scum… City filth. Who manipulates the system of justice to prey on the weak." The Demon said, "And starting today, we will establish a new order."

"Please…" Peter pleaded as he felt his body pressed down by the heel of one masked man. "Before I finish his sentence… I need you to understand one thing." The Demon requested, "If we must save everyone…We must be willing to sacrifice one thing for the greater good…"

Turning his attention away from Peter for a moment, the Demon took out the katana sword from the left shoulder of White Dragon before kicking him onto the ground face down. To Peter's horror, the Demon plunged his katana sword down onto White Dragon's spine.

White Dragon briefly changed to his mutated form before the Demon took out the katana and stabbed the blade onto the back of his head killing him. "No!" Peter let out for a split second before the men on him pressed him onto the ground harder.

The Demon walked away from the dead body and ordered his men to let go of Spider-Man before holding him on the chin. Pushing the katana blade close to his mask, Peter stared into the emotionless expression of the Demon's mask. "We want you on our side, Spider-Man…" The Demon insisted, "We benefit each other so much from our alliance."

"Not with these extreme methods and not when I can't do the things I want to do." Peter said in defiance. The Demon then smacked Peter onto the ground in disappointment. "Such a waste of an ally…" The Demon said as he raised his blade before he stopped, "No, this is a lesson after all."

The Demon stopped what he was doing before walking up to one of White Dragon's unconscious men. Using the palm of his hand, the Demon brought the man back to his feet changing his skin tone to a monochromic grey colour as he stood up.

From that moment on, the Demon possessed him to obey his words. "Recruit the others…" The Demon ordered as the rest of the masked men possessed the rest of White Dragon's men. "Yes, master…" The possessed man answered and did the same thing as the Demon. Peter laid on the ground as he watched every single one of White Dragon's men be converted until White Dragon's corpse as well as the dead masked men were all that was left.

"Watch what a real hero does to save people…" The Demon said leaving Peter by himself. Hearing the sirens close by afterwards, Peter muttered the strength to get up quickly and took the exit through the same ventilation system he used to enter.

* * *

 _11:55 pm Parker residence…_

After failing the investigation for George Stacy as well as failing to find answers for Ned and Phillip, Peter just wanted to rest. His suit smelt terrible as a result of climbing through the Golden Fujian's vents which caused Peter to hide the suit in his own bathroom. Peter pulled the plug off the walkie talkie given to him by George as he set it onto the desk in his room.

He didn't bother with messaging or communicating with his two eyes and ears as he laid onto the bed with a grey shirt and boxers. Slowly drifting away, Peter's eyes drooped as he went to sleep and hoped he can just relax.

However the sleep was interrupted at around 2:30 am when Peter heard a noise from downstairs. Rubbing his eyes and getting up quickly, Peter put on his web shooter wrist bands before quietly opening his room door.

He tiptoed all the way to the staircase as he made his way down to the dining room. Turning on the lights silently, Peter startled both himself and the person in the dark. "Aunt May?!" Peter said breathing heavily. "Peter, my god…" May said putting a hand over his heart, "At least say a word before you come down."

"You're out of the hospital…" Peter commented. "Well, I wanted to be better as soon as possible." May replied, "I'm sorry I woke you up." Peter then ran up to May and embraced her, "Is it really you?" "Peter? What's gotten into you?" May asked as she held onto her nephew hugging him.

"Nothing…" Peter said letting go, "I'm just glad it's really you. A part of me was thinking that…Uh…You were the Chameleon." Aunt May sighed, "Everywhere around the neighbourhood does feel dangerous lately." "Did you walk home all by yourself? Late at night?" Peter asked worryingly.

"I did…" Aunt May admitted, "Although I should have waited till morning. It's just that I'm fine now." May then touched the area located near her abdomen. "You better be right about this…" Peter insisted. "The doctor who looked after me did a tremendous job. He worked his hours getting me fixed." May replied.

Peter blinked before yawning a little. "We should both rest up… Although I won't be working tomorrow. There's no job for me now." May said, "Sorry for all the ruckus." Peter nodded before walking back upstairs relieved that Aunt May was alright.

* * *

 _8:05 am Midtown High School…_

Peter did not get enough sleep as he hoped last night leaving him in a terrible hangover as he walked to school. As he walked to the entrance, he saw Ned and Phillip and caught up with them. "You didn't talk after the whole thing…" Ned said. "Thank god, you're alive…" Phillip added.

"Sorry guys…Last night was another wild ride." Peter said raising his hand up. "Don't worry… I heard the news." Phillip said pulling up a Daily Globe article on his phone.

TRIAD GANG WAR SHAKES UNDERWORLD LEADERSHIP

By Edward Brock

 _Last night, a fight erupted at the Golden Fujian restaurant in Flushing Chinatown. Tsui Fong, the White Dragon and leader of the Dragon-Lord gang was involved in a fight with the demonic masked men who are officially known as the 'Inner Demons'._

 _This name comes evidence gathered from surviving triad members who shared this information to police in the Flushing precinct. "I don't know what happens next. They're claiming that we don't know what we're dealing with. So I, myself am weary…"Captain Liza Sanderberg of Flushing commented._

 _The origin of the Inner Demons is relatively unknown with many of the triad members questioned refusing to spell out the details. "It's like a real evil spirit watching us," An anonymous member from the Dragon-Lord gang stated. The evidence of the organisation's identity also brings light to the people Joseph Cavallaro (Hammerhead) has hired as part of his gang war against the Chameleon._

 _The conflict between the Dragon-Lords and the Inner Demons ended with the death of Tsui in what appears to be two stab wounds on both the spinal cord and the back of the skull. Though he was a notorious crime lord, Tsui Fong did have mourners who claim that he did care for his Asian community members._

 _Some argued that his death was warranted and that they are liberated from his oppressive control. The current status of the Dragon-Lord gang being leaderless begs the question on the uncertain future on the motive of the Inner Demons. As of now, we are left with vague interpretations and questions of this new organisation._

"Well, a part of me is glad he's gone… But without a trial, it's pretty messed up." Phillip commented being glad that his family does not have to put up with his troubles. "That may be the case but these 'Inner Demon' guys could mean worse if we don't understand their motives any faster." Peter added, "Funny how I'm not mentioned."

Jason Ionello, the guy who edits the 'Midtown Special' magazine for school approached the trio with several copies of the magazine. "Sup guys? You guys want to read the latest?" Jason asked handing a book out. Ned then grabbed three copies from Jason before saying "Thanks."

"By the way, Mr. Kerrington… The English teacher who worked around here for a couple of days. He's not around anymore." Jason informed as he walked off. Peter was relieved a little after hearing that. "Man I miss Mrs. Winterhalter. She literally made English almost as fun as science…" Peter said, "I wonder what he's up to next."

After worrying a little about Chameleon, Peter then noticed Gwen walk and decided to approach her after remembering the cold shoulder he gave her when Aunt May was hospitalised. "Uh…I'll catch you guys later…" Peter said as he walked up to Gwen. "I'm sorry but did Peter ever tell you that he was seeing someone?" Ned asked Phillip before he gave Ned a funny look.

Walking up to Gwen, Peter surprised her a little. "Oh, hey Peter…" Gwen said. "Gwen… I just want to say…I'm sorry for brushing you off at that time." Peter said, "I…I was just in a bad state of mind." "You look as if you didn't sleep well last night by the way…." Gwen noted looking at Peter's eyes.

"Well… Aunt May came out of hospital at around 2:30 am. It was a little jarring but I'm glad she's okay…" Peter said. "I'm glad too…" Gwen said lighting up a little, "How are you now?" "Aside from the lack of sleep, I'm fine now." Peter said, "Anyway… We're still on with graduation right?"

"Yeah… Yeah, we are. Gotta pick someone." Gwen said laughing a little. "That's great… It's really that special time of the year when we're dealing with exams." Peter replied. "Hey Peter, we've got class now!" Ned called out interrupting any further moment between the two.

"Right…" Peter said, "Let's go then." Together Peter and Gwen walked together almost hand to hand as they made their way to the school entrance.

* * *

 _9:05 am Elsewhere in Queens, NY…_

With most of his allies gone as well as one of them being a turnout, Chameleon had to hide out. He was not giving up on his dreams and ambitions. Using the last prosthetic mask with him ever since his base was destroyed, Chameleon sought to find a way to focus on to improve the holographic technology he had with him.

Disguised as a homeless man in the alleyway tinkering the wrist-watch looking device on his arm, Chameleon wanted to figure out a way in which he could fit a database of identities into the device with every attempt leaving him frustrated.

Soon after, Chameleon felt an unsettling presence upon him and looked up to see two Inner Demon masked men standing on both ways of the alleyway. Paranoid, Chameleon grabbed out his plasma knife from his pockets and waved it.

However Chameleon dropped the knife as his head began to hurt. His worldview turned dark and bleak and the masked men began to look like tall disorienting demonic figures.

"Do not be afraid, Dmitri…" A distorted voice said in his head as soon as Chameleon closed his eyes. Chameleon opened his eyes again to find that the world went back to normal. However while the four men who approached from both alleyway ends were still there surrounding him; Chameleon also saw the Demon behind them.

"What are you?" Chameleon asked the Demon puzzled. "I followed your mind… I know you tapped into my powers." The Demon answered. Chameleon then remembered the moment he looked into the demonic mask back at his hideout.

"Whatever Hammerhead has hired, I hope he knows what he's doing…" Chameleon said feeling uneasy. "Oh no… Like you, we're very much against him." The Demon said. "Just who the hell are you?" Chameleon asked again.

The Demon then took off his mask surprising Chameleon very much. It was none other than Martin Li in his photonegative form. "You…But…I…" Chameleon stammered remembering that he was responsible for the destruction of the Queens F.E.A.S.T. centre.

"Their deaths will not be in vain…Don't worry, Dmitri." Martin said placing a hand on Chameleon's shoulder assuring that the deaths at F.E.A.S.T. are forgivable, "At first, I wanted to go after you. But the truth is that you're a very much victim of unfortunate circumstances. I understand why this all happened."

"Then what do you want?" Chameleon asked. "I want you to help me bring down Hammerhead. The true cancer in this neighbourhood. The one who caused us most of the pain." Martin informed, "And you my new friend can succeed where areas Spider-Man failed."

"I am no slave." Chameleon retorted. "I don't need you to be one. You alone can judge for yourself…" Martin insisted, "All I want is to help people through my organisation as well as in this state. You on the other hand, can dream a happy life… And I promise not only is Hammerhead on the list. But I will give you Spider-Man."

Chameleon attempted to process the request but not much thought could be given when Martin Li has the power of persuasion as well. "It's not an easy offer to refuse…" Martin said with his eyes glowing white.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	12. (Exclusive) Message to Readers

**Note: This is not a chapter of the main story. This is something I want to do as change of pace.**

H _ey guys,_

 _As I am writing this, we are currently 11 chapters into the story and I'm doing my best to pace it out for an ending. I want to dedicate this chapter for readers out there whether you're following the story or not as an insight to my thoughts when writing this story._

 _I've actually been around this site for quite some time and I've written a few fanfics for other properties before. One of the earliest ones I did was a TMNT one where I was keen on crafting my own interpretation on the franchise. Another one was Street Fighter which didn't provide a whole lot of material for me admittedly despite my love for the games and such._

 _Unfortunately I never got around to completing either of them due to my interests in them dying down a little. That's not to say I hate them, don't get me wrong. From those fanfics, I've been learning how to adjust my writing and thinking about how people can be invested. I've also been insistent on being creative in what I envision._

 _It is important to stay faithful to source material yet change things up a little to make it fresh. With that being said, let's dive in. 2018 was pretty significant year for Marvel particularly with Spider-Man. We've been blessed with so many things from it such as some great movies, a great video game etc. Yet it is also the year where unfortunately the two biggest people, Steve Ditko and Stan Lee passed away. (RIP you two)_

 _When I say 2018 was a significant year, I mean I had a huge surge in interest to write something. So when I started this story, my mind just instantly clicked to Peter Parker. I understand at this moment of time, I should be more concerned with the likes of Miles Morales or Spider-Gwen. Don't get me wrong, I love those characters but Peter Parker was always where it's at and he's the character I want to know with regards to how I would envision him._

 _Writing Peter Parker to me feels like an exercise of what parts of him are relatable to me and quite possibly everyone else. I want to write a Spider-Man who has experienced the tragedy of Uncle Ben already yet has still much to learn about his duties._

 _That's why I gave moments like building new web shooters, a new suit and other gear into the story to emphasise how he needs to overcome his technological limitations and use his mind. The reason for the age of 18 is also done to balance out the youthhood and adulthood in Peter. So basically, independent yet still finding a way to transition._

 _There are two characters I need to address and they are Harry Osborn and Mary Jane Watson. First thing is first, they both exist in the universe this story occupies. I want to subvert this early on to give Peter a bit of an isolation gap with certain people and explore something else._

 _Harry Osborn, who we commonly know as the best friend of Peter as well as one of his biggest enemies depending on the story told is not going to be in this story. He's away… (Hint, hint) My decision for this is to make Peter more of a loner that has been disconnected ever since._

 _Instead I chose for Ned Leeds to occupy the best friend role and yes, this is obviously something influenced by Homecoming. In this version, Ned like Peter is very much quite distant with people around him. While Flash Thompson picks on Peter as usual, I would say he picks on Ned even more in this version. Also I adjusted him a little to make him less like Ganke Lee (the friend of Miles Morales) which also means he's less like Jacob Batalon in appearance._

 _There's another 'best friend' character I included and that's Phillip Chang. This is actually a minor character from the comics and someone I thought would be cool to change up. (P.S. You can actually find this character in the Spider-Man PS4 game) In this version, he starts off as the only guy who knows Peter is Spider-Man and provides the tech support Peter needs to monitor crime._

 _Onto Mary Jane Watson and like Harry, she's away. I did add a bit of history in that she is the first girl Peter was romantically involved with and whatever happened ever since is a mystery. Who knows, if she would pop up in the story? And while I recognise their relationship as a big thing, I ultimately decided to settle with someone else._

 _Speaking of which, Gwen Stacy is the main love interest for this story. As a character in other iterations, she has been through a lot and I think like Peter has a lot of different avenues she can go through. To put it simply, she knows who Mary Jane is and that's one reason she got close to Peter. I would say she is kind of a popular girl in that people like her but to her, she isn't feeling the energy all the time._

 _Admittedly, I will admit I kind of struggle with writing her because every time I do something like write about what Spider-Man is up to, I go "I gotta give Gwen something to do." Don't worry, I am open to Spider-Gwen ideas for her. I'm doing my best to build it up. Her father is someone who I intend to use to fill in some gaps whenever she isn't around._

 _Lastly, Aunt May is pretty much the same as you'd know her. The one legal guardian who's doing her best to look after her nephew. Being a character close to Peter, she obviously puts on a lot of motivation for what Peter is fighting for. On a side note, I included the storyline in which Aunt May works at F.E.A.S.T. as a way to showcase her character as well as open the possibility of her being close to danger._

 _As for villains, I understand if you're wondering when people like Doc Ock or Green Goblin are going to show up. These are great villains, no doubt. But I rather not rush them due to their popularity and other things. Instead, I opted for some other candidates._

 _In this story, Peter has been Spider-Man for quite some time but he hasn't quite faced serious villains as of yet. This is done to open up the possibility of fleshing out a villain's backstory as well as developing them as they go along._

 _Firstly there's Chameleon. If you know your Spider-Man comics, this is the first official supervillain Spider-Man has ever faced dating back to the 60s. However, he isn't quite popular I feel in comparison with other villains today and I want to give him another chance. He's in the story as both a bit of an homage as well as someone who I want to make as both formidable and threatening to Spider-Man through my eyes._

 _Hammerhead is in this story to start off the root of the conflict. Outside of all the superpowered and techy villains, I wanted someone who (aside from his forehead) is simply just a regular man who controls things through words and organisation. It was either him or someone else like Kingpin. Plus including the Maggia opens up some doors for where I want to take the story._

 _Shocker is in this story as another central antagonist. Out of all the popular Spider-Man villains, he feels like one of the earliest supervillains Spider-Man could come across despite not being the case in the original Earth-616 comics. I want to make him something special of an antagonist. Not much a tragic figure and while he is doing other's work, I wanted to set up an arc that relates to him and Spider-Man. I have a lot of fun writing him._

 _Finally there's Martin Li (a.k.a Mister Negative)… Now as of now, he's kind of just a puppet master working his way through the story. After playing Spider-Man PS4, I wanted to capitalise on his rising popularity a little. I liked the vengeance angle with him and to me, there's some relatable context I want to include for him. This version has been written with a few things that are a little closer to the original comics in comparison to the PS4 version. Yet, I want to keep the best parts from Spider-Man PS4 in him._

 _The rest of the villains included are lesser foes from the comics. Some like Kangaroo and Cyclone are one-off characters who'd been killed off permanently. I wanted to see if I could make these characters more than what they used to be. Other villains like Beetle and Eel are guys who faced other heroes beyond Spider-Man in the comics. These guys open up the universe in which the story occupies and is perhaps something I wish to expand upon._

 _Speaking of which, there's plenty of Marvel Easter eggs as well as references for other things. Good luck, pointing out the Marvel references in each chapter be it Spider-Man or not. Major influences to this story are actually the original Earth-616 stuff. Maybe a few Ultimate stuff as well and to some extent, other media like the movies and such._

 _If there's one thing you'd probably notice is that the story mostly takes place in Queens rather than Manhattan. I did this to make the conflict of the story more personal and more at home for Peter. There is one thing I do think I struggle with regards to location and that is visualising in my head, the surroundings/environment. Admittedly, I don't live in Queens._

 _This does present a challenge for me which is choreographing the fight scenes in my head as well as giving readers the sense of what is happening. I apologize if this is an issue with you, this is something I'll try figure out in the future._

 _So all in all, I'd like to thank all of you out there dedicating your time reading. It's been a real honour. I also appreciate the feedback as every bit helps with what I could learn._

 _Until then stay tuned for the next chapter… 😊_

 _Looking forward to 2019._


	13. Deadly Alliance

SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 12)

 _9:25 am Somewhere around Queens…_

It was a strange feeling for Chameleon to be helped by the people Hammerhead had hired to hunt him down. Chameleon felt even more awkward sitting in front of Martin as the two sat inside a cab owned by Martin himself.

Chameleon still wearing the homeless man guise sat in front of the philanthropist anticipating any form of trap he may have fallen into. "Make yourself comfortable, Dmitri…I only wish to talk for now." Martin said.

"How do I know you aren't going to kill me?" Chameleon questioned. "I've been trying to understand you ever since you tapped in." Martin explained, "If you've seen my abilities, you know the kind of power I have with me. My powers lend me a certain persuasiveness as well as certain degree of mind control."

"Then you must know who Spider-Man is as well…" Chameleon answered. "Do I?" Martin asked surprised before laughing, "Unfortunately my powers only go as far as controlling people to do my bidding or make them see things they don't want to see. I can't see the truth through their minds."

"But you know who I am?" Chameleon asked. "Based on my dealings with Hammerhead…Yes." Martin acknowledged. Chameleon then let out a smile, "So…Martin Li. So-called 'philanthropist of the year'. Has a corrupt side to him."

"Corrupt is an ugly word. I always fight for the weak and I give back." Martin said seriously, "The city deserves people like me." Chameleon then looked at his wristwatch and rotated a part of it. An almost realistic looking image of Martin Li overlapped Chameleon's body.

Rather than acted surprised, Martin was impressed by the technology. Chameleon changed back before explaining, "I rather use prosthetics…" "Impressive…" Martin remarked, "I see why Hammerhead had hired you."

"In my lifetime, my abilities have helped sabotage and blackmail so-called 'heroes'. I can blow up a hospital using your likeness and everyone would believe it was you." Chameleon said, "Of course, we have DNA tests these days…"

"Let's not fight each other, Dmitri…" Martin insisted raising up his hand, "You are a talented man and a brave one to stand up against the likes of Hammerhead. You deserve more than just my sympathies." "You don't know my story…" Chameleon grumbled.

"I don't, not yet. But I feel the pain inside you." Martin answered, "Rather than kill you. I'd like to form an alliance between us. Think about it, if Hammerhead wins this fight. Nothing changes. Everything stays the way like before. Misery spreads…"

"Your forces and plans may have fallen, but I can help you rebound…" Martin continued, "As a man with power, I promise you a place in New York. You're more likely to lose if you deny this." Chameleon was sceptical of this proposal despite the insistence that Martin was always against Hammerhead since the start.

"If I deny this arrangement, I'd be finished… Perhaps, it is my best way forward…" Chameleon thought before peeling away his prosthetic mask revealing his white head and extending out a hand. "Deal…" Chameleon said as Martin's own hand clasped onto his. To Chameleon's surprise, Martin did not pull any supernatural tricks onto his mind which was a good step as of far.

* * *

 _9:30 am Midtown High School…_

Peter's class in history had finished in which he was seriously bored with the World War 2 stuff he was lectured on. Walking out of the classroom, Peter headed to his locker and opened it up as he switched out his textbook for his advanced mathematics textbook.

As he closed the locker, he turned around just in time to face Gwen. "Oh hey Gwen…" Peter said as he confronted her. "Peter Parker, just the guy I wanted to talk to…" Gwen said smiling shyly. "Something important?" Peter questioned.

"To me, it is. For you? Uh… It's up to you really." Gwen babbled, "So…Uh, do you have any plans after school now?" "I don't know…" Peter replied curiously, "What are you thinking?" "Actually, it's my mum's birthday today and it's a special family occasion. We're going to Romita's for dinner and I thought it could be more fun, if I could… Find someone to go with me." Gwen stated.

"Oh cool…" Peter said, "So…What about other people? Have they said 'no'?" "Well, some of them are busy. I need someone who I can trust to bring along and make the evening special." Gwen said. "Is there something wrong with being with your family?" Peter wondered.

"No, it's not like that." Gwen said rolling her eyes, "I mean come on, I just want to ask if you're interested. I promise I'll pay the money for your food." "Oh gosh, Gwen… I think it's okay if I can afford things myself. Anyway… Is Flash Thompson not available to you?" Peter joked.

"Ugh…" Gwen said starting to feel annoyed. "Hey, could you give me a moment to think about all this?" Peter requested as he started to think through his head. To Peter, it was all clear. Gwen is harbouring some feelings for him. This had to be clear since the start when Gwen purposefully said 'tiger'.

"Remember the times where you had to ask MJ out?" Peter reminded himself. Peter understood the pressures that were being felt. It should be his moment to return the favour for someone else. Gwen is a nice girl and she certainly is fun to hang out with.

But there was another concern in Peter's head and that was Spider-Man. What will people like Hammerhead or the recent Inner Demons do if Spider-Man was not there? What is Chameleon up to now and what could he do to hurt him now?

Peter wrestled with this and thought about the last two times that happened when he was Spider-Man. "My aunt got hurt and plus I barely understand where to go with the Inner Demon's stuff. I guess for once, it's time to restore my sanity." Peter thought, "Spider-Man needs his break. Peter Parker needs to come back for once."

"You know what, Gwen?" Peter said catching her attention, "I will say 'yes'. I'll go with you." Gwen's eyes lightened up, "Really?" "It's definitely a first between the both of us. Why not take the chance?" Peter said.

"Lovely…" Gwen said as she prepared to leave, "Be there around 5 pm." "Wait, before you go…" Peter said as Gwen turned around, "You think Aunt May can come along as well? She'll love this, trust me." Gwen thought to herself before giving out an answer, "Sure, I'll try see if there's more room."

* * *

 _4:30 pm Forest Park, Queens…_

Jonas Harrow waited in a near empty parking lot area and nervously walked about awaiting for Hammerhead to arrive. Sure enough, a black SUV rolled right through and parked close to him. Two men from the front seat got out with Hammerhead and another man getting out from the back.

Hammerhead saw Jonas and went forward to embrace his friend. "Jonas, lovely to see you here in this lovely park." Hammerhead said as he wrapped his arms around his friend before letting go. "Yeah…" Jonas said nervously as he looked around trying to see if there were witnesses.

"Sun's getting real low…" Hammerhead commented looking at the orange sky, "Most people would want to go home and hang out at places like Time Square." Jonas watched Hammerhead move around while the men stoically stood there with guns in their hand.

"As you can see, gentlemen. I've assembled you all here in this secluded environment surrounded by Mother Nature herself." Hammerhead said pointing out the trees surrounding them. "Anyway," Hammerhead continued, "We all know that our friend, 'Mr. Negative' has stepped up big time ever since the recent mob boss in Chinatown got slain."

"Mister Negative?" Jonas questioned confused by the name. "Yeah, is that the name we're giving for the lead guy now?" One man asked. "Exactly… We know that good guy, Martin Li is a psychotic crime lord beneath that philanthropy suit." Hammerhead explained.

"Then why'd we hire him?" One of Hammerhead's men asked. Unimpressed with the remark, Hammerhead dusted off a pair of silver knuckles from his pockets and put them on. The man's facial expression turned fearful as soon as Hammerhead grabbed him by the collar and beat him with them.

Hammerhead stopped punching as he watched the man fall to his knees and cover his face as it was bleeding. "We don't make smartass comments in the Maggia if you ain't the leader…" Hammerhead said looking away as the man covered his face. Jonas stood firm at the sight of his boss's aggression as well as the rest.

"No one panic…" Hammerhead said, "We might have a chance to deal with this." Suddenly, a police car with a siren alarm arrived leading to Hammerhead's men to draw out their weapons. Two policemen got out of the front once the siren was turned off. With weapons still drawn on them, the backdoor of the police car was opened up.

Eel, in his costume got out of the vehicle causing the men to lower their weapons in recognition to one of the Maggia's allies. "Mr. Lavell, glad you can join us." Hammerhead greeted. "Likewise, Mr. Cavallaro." Eel said as he went up to shake Hammerhead's hand.

Hammerhead then turned his attention to the police officers. "Well, if it isn't my two favourite boys in blue…Frankie and Reynard." Hammerhead said as he walked up to them, "How are your days?" The two police officers hanged their heads in shame as they knew they had failed something.

"Cat caught both of your tongues?" Hammerhead asked before getting serious. "Let me ask… DB-127. The police's new arsenal in taking out the vibranium stocks. How is it that cops under my payroll fail to prevent something like this from getting approved?" Hammerhead asked with a hint of anger.

The police officers at first did not speak before Frankie spoke. "We're just regular officers, we don't have the authority to influence the final decision." Frankie explained. "Really?" Hammerhead asked before grabbing him by the collar.

"When I pay you, I'd expect work done for me. Why is that filth allowed to seep into the hands of authorities?" Hammerhead demanded to know. Frankie was nervous as he saw that Hammerhead still had his silver knuckles on him, while he tried to come up with an answer.

"It's not that easy, boss …" Frankie uttered, "We can't bring ourselves to physically destroy it. Its properties are all over the place…" Hammerhead let Frankie go and added his thoughts, "Our vibranium crisis is irrelevant now and now we have put up with the bullshit Mister Negative is conjuring up. Does anyone here have a solution on what to do?!"

"Perhaps, I do…" Jonas added catching Hammerhead's attention. "You have something to say, Jonas?" Hammerhead asked. "Speaking of this crisis, I understand that we're dealing with some form of negative energy that our former friend can control." Jonas explained.

"Enlighten us." Eel requested. "There's a place around town owned by Roxxon that I know hides secrets regarding interdimensional energy." Jonas explained, "If we could go there, there's something we might use to fight back."

"Roxxon?" Hammerhead questioned before giving it some thought, "Of course… That would be a start. Be more specific…" "There's an energy harnessing device well-hidden from the public's eye. We can cook up something special from that device and it hit Mister Negative's crew like radiation." Jonas said.

"How the hell do you know this stuff?" Eel asked in disbelief. "Edward… Do you think sewing a piece of vibranium into Joseph's head was easy?" Jonas replied. "Thanks for that input, Jonas." Hammerhead said turning his attention to the police officers.

"So Reynard, you're gonna miss working with Frankie?" Hammerhead asked. "Not really that much, boss…" Reynard answered not even looking at his partner's terrified eyes. "Oh, Frankie…Doesn't seem like anyone's going to miss you." Hammerhead sighed as he checked his silver knuckles.

Rubbing his two silver knuckles together, Hammerhead grabbed Frankie by the head violently without warning. The crime lord repeatedly punched the officer's face until the life out of him was snuffed out while Frankie weakly tried to fight back.

His partner did not bat an eye. Hammerhead's men just stood there. The only ones reacting to the violence were Jonas who turned away a little while Eel bit his lip as he watched his boss beat a subordinate of his to death.

"I'll make it quick for you…" Hammerhead said as he ordered one of his men to put a bullet into Reynard's head. With one shot from a handgun, the two police officers laid dead on the floor with Hammerhead looming over. "Clean up the carcasses, gentlemen." Hammerhead ordered his men.

The men dragged the bodies of the police officers into the SUV leaving Hammerhead alone with Jonas and Eel. "Mr. Lavell, call in more reinforcements. We're gonna trash some of the authority buildings down if we're going to save this town…" Hammerhead ordered. Eel nodded and went away using the police car driven by the two police officers.

"Alright, Jonas…Show me this place." Hammerhead said turning his attention to him as Jonas went to his car.

* * *

 _5:05 pm Romita's Restaurant…_

Peter wore his best suit at the suggestion of Aunt May as they walked into what appears to be mostly an Italian restaurant. "Honestly, I don't need to be this formal…" Peter complained to May. "Oh, Peter…This isn't just dressing to impress a girl. This is about looking good in front of a family." May said in her best red dress.

"Hey Peter!" Gwen called out from a round table next to a window with her mother and little brother. Peter waved as he and May walked over to the table. Gwen's mother, Helen, a blonde got up to greet the two of them. "Happy birthday, Mrs. Stacy." Peter said shaking Helen's hand. Aunt May and Helen also exchanged cheek kisses before sitting down.

The little brother, Simon was playing a console game and only waved before focusing on his game. "Nice interior…" May commented looking around as she sat. "It is one of the finest…" Helen agreed, "It's nice to meet you two by the way. Helen Stacy." "May Parker…" May answered back.

"Five minutes late…" Gwen groaned eyeing Peter. "Gwen…" Helen said reminding her of her manners. "Sorry, I got caught up in a wardrobe malfunction." Peter admitted embarrassingly. Gwen giggled while the little eleven-year old brother, Simon briefly looked up before going back to his game.

"Well, we don't need to hear that story…" May said before Peter could embarrass himself even further. Helen checked her phone and sighed, "Still stuck in traffic." "Dad?" Gwen asked. "Yep, although I think his work is more of the problem." Helen answered before putting the phone away.

"So Mr. Parker…" Helen wondered, "How do you know my daughter?" "Well, we've been in the same high school like ever since." Peter explained, "We kind of known each other for a while but ever since we worked at F.E.A.S.T. we got close."

"There's your simple story, mum…" Gwen said. "Close? So are you really dating her?" Helen questioned looking at Peter suspiciously. "Well, you see…It's only really the stage of friendship. I honestly…" Peter tried to say.

"Oh, silly me. That was a rude question." Helen said laughing, "How about you tell us about yourself?" Helen then smacked Simon's hand to get his attention. "Simon, put away the game. Mr. Parker is in the midst of introducing himself." Helen ordered as she took the console out of his hand.

"Ugh, mum…" Simon complained before he had to listen. "I actually lived in Queens my entire life. I was born in Forest Hills…" Peter started to speak. "Coincidentally the same place our beautiful daughter was born in…" Helen cut in. "Mum, please…" Gwen added in order to avoid embarrassment.

"So… Uh… I live with my Aunt May. It's just me and her." Peter said putting an arm around her. "What about your actual parents?" Helen asked. "I've never knew them. I don't know who they were exactly." Peter said, "But I had my aunt and uncle with me growing up."

"Where's your uncle now?" Helen asked. Peter sighed before May had her word in the conversation. "My husband has passed away…" May stated. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry…" Helen replied feeling a little guilty. "Peter was friends with MJ, mum. And he was her boyfriend…" Gwen stated changing the subject, "That's until she moved away…"

"Oh, really? Gosh, what a lucky person you are to go out with a girl like her…" Helen giggled. Peter felt red in the face as he saw Helen and Gwen laugh with even Aunt May joining in. Only Simon was indifferent as he couldn't care less. "I always wonder what do girls see in me…" Peter thought to himself.

"Here's the garlic bread fresh out of the oven…" A waiter said coming to the table and placing a basket with the bread in the middle. "Oh joy, George is really gonna miss this…." Helen said in disappointment as the delicious smell of the bread filled the table.

Just as they were about to eat in, George in his police uniform walked into the place searching for his family. People who were dining were concerned seeing a police officer walking in a restaurant but went back to minding their own business as they realised George was joining his family for dinner.

"Happy birthday, honey…" George said as he tried to kiss his wife on the cheek. Helen however was not impressed and stopped him. "How about you sit down instead? This is a special occasion and you still decide to show up in uniform." Helen commented.

"Well, I figure showing up as early as possible is a better way to make up for things than spending too much time changing." George said sitting down. "Well, you're late anyway…" Helen said rolling her eyes. George then greeted his two children, "Gwendolyn; Simon… How are you two?"

"Cool, dad. We're not just here to celebrate mum's birthday but also Gwen's date with her new boyfriend…" Simon said. "Shut up…" Gwen replied irritated, "I'm good too, dad. It's nice to see you here." "Oh right…" George said, "Who are these two by the way?"

"Honey, these two are the Parkers. The woman on the left is Mrs. May Parker and the boy on the right is Peter Parker." Helen introduced. "Oh hello there, Mrs. Parker. I'm George Stacy, I'm an officer from the NYPD at the Forest Hills Precinct." George stated getting up to shake May's hand, "I heard a lot about your work at F.E.A.S.T."

"Why, thank you…" May replied, "Nice to know that you work close by." "Oh, to you. Mr. Parker. Peter. Nice to meet you in person too." George said shaking Peter's hand. "Likewise, Mr. Stacy…" Peter said as he nervously shook George's hand. "Wow, tight handshake…" George said sitting down.

As everyone was finally seated, there was an awkward silence at first. "Well, what are we waiting for? Dig in while it's hot…" George said grabbing a piece of bread. "Oh, sweetie. I do have a gift I want to give you after all this…" George said to Helen as he munched the bread.

* * *

 _7:30 pm Oscorp Innovation Centre, Flushing Meadows-Corona_

With Hammerhead's plans being loud and bombastic, Martin Li and Chameleon were keeping things relatively subtle. Martin Li was not yet ready to take his Inner Demons crew to new heights just yet as he was interested in keeping his public integrity safe and not fall into a scandal.

"We'll gather all we need to take down Hammerhead. But first… As a friendly gesture for our alliance, I have a gift I'm offering you." Martin said as the car turned to the direction of their destination. "It better not be possessing me…" Chameleon warned in his real-life appearance.

"It won't be. For you, it will be a gift of wonders." Martin promised. "What gift of wonders?" Chameleon questioned. "You'll see…" Martin said smiling. The car pulled over in front of an Oscorp building stationed nearby.

"Oscorp?" Chameleon questioned, "What are we doing here?" "There is a special device prototype located in this building as well as some data files worth collecting from here. I want you to perform your talents there." Martin requested.

"Mr. Li, since the beginning of my fight for freedom against Hammerhead, I have been dreaming to put away my old life and retire peacefully." Chameleon said. "And look where you are now…A trapped and helpless victim who has lost almost everything in his struggle. You can't do this all by yourself." Martin insisted.

"I can forgive you… For all the terrible sins you have caused. Especially those who have died for my organisation." Martin said leaning forward to an unsure Chameleon. Chameleon looked into Martin's cold eyes slowly and soon agreed to the task. "Okay, I'll do this job to show off my capabilities." Chameleon said.

"Good…Now, here's the task." Martin said as he turned on a tablet next to him. Martin flipped the electronic device over and showed a picture of 60 year-oldish looking man in a lab coat, "This is Dr. Eric Schwinner, one of the chief scientists working at the Oscorp Innovation Centre. He's the one person who has access to most of the information held classified in this building."

Chameleon studied the details of the man carefully before using his wrist watch to holographically change into the appearance of him based on the image. "You'll need to read up on his work when you go inside. We want this to be as authentic as possible." Martin instructed before handing the tablet to Chameleon.

"If you have anything you want to ask, use that device. Make sure it comes back in one piece." Martin said. Chameleon stared at the Oscorp building before nodding. "You got yourself a deal…" Chameleon said as he prepared to leave, "Oh yes, what voice does this person have?" Chameleon then stopped.

Martin then grabbed out his phone and played a clip of Dr. Eric Schwinner explaining a product of Oscorp, _"Every day, we work… We are closer to developing Oscorp's new fabric shifter helping you to suit up in the latest fashion. Effectively reducing intensive labour in the past, we're making it easy for you to dress for success."_

"Recorded…" Chameleon said before opening up the car door and out to the front of the building. Chameleon examined the building to be at least five levels which made it feel like there isn't much ground to cover. "Should be easy…" Chameleon said to himself.

Chameleon then noticed another car stop by next to the car Martin was in. Four people, three men and one woman in demonic masks walked over and approach him. "We're here to provide assistance…" One man spoke. "Distractions?" Chameleon wondered.

"We're here to disable security systems…" The woman added. Chameleon nodded, "You better know your plans…" Chameleon wasted no time talking any further and walked through the automatic glass door of the building.

Like much of Oscorp's properties, the interiors were sterile looking with flashes of white. Chameleon strolled through the hallways and looked for any sign of security cameras. He was hoping the crew helping him would do their job competently in disabling them.

Some of the employees already left the building which made sense for a job like this to be pulled off. The only thing Chameleon was concerned with was the fame of the person he was impersonating. Walking down the hallway towards an elevator, Chameleon came face to face with an elderly security guard.

"Dr. Schwinner? You're still here." The security guard spoke. "Yes, indeed…" Chameleon answered before looking for any sign of the guard's nametag. He then spotted the nametag on his white shirt, 'Baxter Bigelow'. "You working overtime, Baxter?" Chameleon casually asked.

"Why, indeed. People much prefer being cops compared to security guards these days it seems. Everyone just wants to move around." Baxter said before coughing a little, "Excuse me, just me and my old age." "Don't stress yourself, Baxter. This place is too important to be robbed." Chameleon answered back.

"Of course…" Baxter said using his fist against his chest, "I don't get tired doing this job. Anything important you need to do?" Chameleon did not know what to say except demand coordinates of where Dr. Schwinner's research was.

"Yes, I'm having a bit of trouble accessing my stuff. I think I lost my key card…" Chameleon spout out as he noted that the elevators need specialised scanning access. "Key card? Oh dear… Hey I'll help you." Baxter said as he got his own card out.

Despite his veteran appearance, Chameleon could already sense the naivety of the security guard. "An old fool…" Chameleon thought as he watched him scan his card. "It's here…" Baxter called out as Chameleon followed behind.

Inside the elevator, Chameleon watched Baxter press the third level button. "Most of the scientists have called the day off. Bunch of youngsters just wanting to do leisure…" Baxter spoke. Chameleon said nothing as he was trying to think of what to do next.

"I have a question, do you know where I hide my research?" Chameleon asked. "I'm sorry, but I thought you know." Baxter replied. "No," Chameleon laughed, "I meant if you know. If you spend a lot of time walking around this place." "Oh, that's up to you. Your workplace is pretty encrypted. I need your eyes and finger prints to see all the stuff you're working on." Baxter commented.

Again, Chameleon listened before he said his words, "I just need to go through some test runs… And then I'll call it a day off. It's for…Quality assurance." "Oh I understand…" Baxter said. The elevator reached the third floor and opened up. "Well, you're lucky that going down is free. Hopefully we can get that key card of yours replaced. Good night, doctor…" Baxter said as Chameleon stepped out.

"Likewise…" Chameleon said without turning his back on him. After the doors closed, Chameleon was relieved to know he didn't need to maim someone in the process of infiltration. After all, being a former spy should mean that things go as discretely as possible rather than the chaos he did when attempting to be a crime lord.

Searching the corridors, Chameleon found the door leading to the work. Dr. Eric Schwinner's name hung on the door with the exact security measures described by Baxter. For the eye scan, the security measure was easy to bypass due to the realism Chameleon's holographic imagery can produce. The finger scan however was tough due to the specificity of the technology.

The solution to this issue was solved when Chameleon used the wrist watch's functionality to scan traces of fingerprints that were previously left by Dr. Schwinner. Scanning the fingerprints, Chameleon implemented these onto his fingers and finally opened up the door using the mock fingerprints.

Inside was a secret lab of sorts, the kind that Oscorp would hide from the eyes of the public. Chameleon made eye with all that was around him. There was a near transparent flexible suit inside a glass cylinder. "This must be the scientist's project." Chameleon thought before looking at the supercomputer next to it. Walking over, he attempted to open it but the computer was encrypted with an eye scanner.

Using the same method to get into the lab, Chameleon gained access to the database and looked over important files. He clicked into a database file that had the public IDs hundreds of different people associated with Oscorp. Examining his wristwatch device, Chameleon realised that he could download the data and implement the appearances of many people.

Impressed with his findings, Chameleon was grateful for the new technological upgrades that Martin had dug up for him and proceeded to take what was in the lab.

* * *

 _7:45 pm Romita's Restaurant…_

"You got any aspirations on what you want to be when you grow up?" George asked Peter as he tucked into his risotto. "Scientist…Like a lab assistant for people." Peter answered, "Or maybe I can be a baseball player…" "Baseball? Wow, I'm surprised…" George answered back.

"I remember when I was little, my uncle used to take me to see the New York Mets play their games like all the time. At first, I didn't care about the games… But one day, they actually hit a homerun and…They won." Peter said, "I won't forget that day." "Well, I can tell you… The New York Mets are now one of America's best teams in sports right now." George replied.

"True… I just wish my uncle was there to see that." Peter said as he played around with his Bolognese spaghetti. "This food's great…When's the cake coming?" George wondered. "We've only just got the entrees, George. Relax…" Helen said patting her husband on the back.

"OK… So what else do I want to say? My daughter already covered the relationship ground between you and her. Oh yes, Gwen do you have any career aspirations you would like to share?" George asked. "I'm kind of on a similar path like you, Peter. Except I'd wanted to be a drummer…" Gwen said.

"Didn't you tell me you wanted to be a musician?" George questioned. "It's kind of the same thing. Except I personally think I'm a terrible singer." Gwen said. George laughed, "You still sing with me whenever we're in the car together." "I think the two of you really need to decide what's best for you…" Helen added, "Not that I want to be the judge of things."

"Hey dad, can you tell us if you've seen Spider-Man lately?" Simon asked. "Oh, yes. Would anyone like to hear stories from work?" George asked. "Ugh…" Helen replied indicating she isn't a fan of the vigilante. "Well, it seems like we have a majority vote." George said.

Peter, Gwen, Simon and even Aunt May all tuned in to listen. "So last time on 'George and Spider-Man', the two of us worked together to bring down the pesky Beetle and the turbulent Cyclone. Those are their villain names, don't judge me… The next case we did brought our attention to Chinatown…" George started.

George looked around to make sure people were minding their own business before continuing, "Deep in the worst parts of Chinatown… Uh… Spider-Man fought a lot of bad guys." Peter laughed a little but tried to remain a little serious as he recalled how the events there turned out.

"I gave him a walkie talkie and he never reported back…." George said giving everyone a look in the eye, "The next thing that happened? The news reports that the old triad boss in Chinatown went out. Leaving me hanging on certain things…"

"I hope he doesn't mean that I committed murder…" Peter said in his head. "End of story. Oh, by the way… May, I'm glad you made it here in spite of what happened with you recently. I'm sorry if it's a bad time mentioning it." George said to May. "It's okay, I faced arguably bigger problems when I was younger…" May replied.

"Like what?" Peter questioned. "Stuff like nearly marrying a criminal myself. Thank heavens for your Uncle Ben, Peter." May said in response to Peter. "Ah, look what's come right out of the kitchen…" George stated as the waiter came back with parmigiana.

"Ugh, is that eggplant, dad?" Simon asked. "Sure is, but when it tastes good, the flavours will get to you." George answered. "Dad, can I ask you something?" Simon asked again. "Sure thing…" George said. "I've been making a comic based on Spider-Man, I was wondering if you could give it to him when I finish?" Simon requested.

George patted his son on the back, "Sure…I gotta make sure I meet him though." Peter smiled as he was glad that he was inspiring people like him just as people like Iron Man or Captain America did. Before, the parmigiana could be tasted George was interrupted by a text by Captain Saito.

"10-24, assault happening at Forest Hills police precinct?" George read and got up, "Uh… Listen, I got some troubling news I need to take care of at the precinct." "Really George?" Helen asked annoyed. "Oh I gotta give you that gift right away…" George said as he got out a small present box for his wife.

"Dad… You're gonna miss the cake." Simon said. "Then leave some for me…" George said pushing in the chair before hurrying off. Peter knew something was up and decided to make an excuse to follow George. "Ah, Aunt May… Guys, I really need to use the bathroom now." Peter said.

"Go ahead, honey…" May approved as Peter got out of his seat. Gwen took note of the coincidence before telling Aunt May, "There he goes again…" "It's typical after dinner…" Aunt May assured her.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	14. Energised

SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 14)

 _8:00 pm Forest Hills Police Precinct…_

As Hammerhead had ordered to Eel, the precinct at Forest Hills is under siege. The police were hardly fighting back at sparks of electricity being fired all over the place and instead were trying to keep their distance from the safety hazard.

"There's too much voltage, everyone get out!" Captain Saito ordered as he helped his fellow officers out of the damaged precinct. As the evacuation happened, George arrived at the scene in his police car to witness his precinct in a damaged state. Windows were broken; bricks had been fallen and inside was a blazing fire.

"Geez… What the hell…" George said in horror before his attention switched to gunfire that was fired by Hammerhead's men coming from the inside of the building. "Why are they running from a gunfight?" George wondered before he realised what was happening.

The men had Eel backing them who was spreading shots of electricity everywhere with the tip of his fingers. "Great, where's Spider-Man when we need him?" George wondered as he got out of the car and barricaded himself.

As George loaded his pistol, he noticed that while the men were advancing with their own firepower, one of them was carrying a small grey cargo suitcase with the letters 'DB-127' written in black."Stealing?" George questioned before taking his first shot.

Being an honest cop, George aimed only to disarm his enemies rather than kill. His first shot made one man drop his weapon. "There's a cop right there!" One man alerted Eel as he turned his gun to George's car.

Eel fired a bolt of electricity in George's direction which caused the car to flip over. Luckily, George was unharmed despite being in close proximity while the car was turned over on the road. "This one's mine…" Eel remarked as soon as he spotted George.

Before another shot of electricity could be fired, Eel was soon distracted when his men had been knocked out by a sweeping pendulum like force. He turned around to see Peter in his costume lying on the floor. "Sorry, slipped a little." Peter groaned before getting up.

"A disappointing entrance…" Eel mocked, "But that was expected…" Eel then wiped his suit a little from the swing-kick Peter had attempted. "You think? Gotta say it's really annoying every time you guys are up to something." Peter commented back.

"Count on it," Eel said as he charged up his suit, "Cause the next thing we're going to do is extremely huge." "Huge? Thought you guys were losing the fight against Hammerhead?" Peter asked before he dodged a streak of lightning.

"Hate to break it to you, bug." Eel said, "The truth is, I'm the mole of their group. I've been working hard to clear the air from them since day one." "A traitor for a guy who's a traitor to the guy you're working for?" Peter asked pretending to be confused, "Man, you guys like backstabbing each other."

"My allegiance is always clear." Eel continued as the same routine of attempting to electricity Peter who was jumping about to keep Eel distracted from hurting the escaping police officers. "I only work with people who can afford it…" Eel kept talking.

"Not sure if Hammerhead is perfect guy to describe that choice, but I won't be the judge of that…" Peter said as he tried web up his target. To Peter's surprise, his webs had little effect on Eel as he melted them based on the electrical insulation on his suit.

"Those webs won't tie me down…" Eel said shaking the last string of web off, "I've got the best suit the other chumps wish they could afford." "Hate to break it to you, I think it's an abomination in design…" Peter replied while still trying to process why his webs did not work.

Meanwhile, George watched the two fight it out before he saw Captain Saito take aim. "Captain, hold your fire…" George insisted. "Why? This is our chance. We can put a stop to one of these guys in situations like these." Saito commented. "But one of them is not the problem," George stated, "He's the one who took down most of the Chameleon's goons."

"And some of them were unlawful assaults." Saito said steadying his aim. "It's not the same Spider-Man we're dealing with…" George pleaded holding onto the gun. "Geez…What's your problem, George?" Saito asked puzzled.

"Okay, Spider…" Eel said taunting his foe, "I'll give you a fighting chance. How would you like it if I didn't fire off sparks?" "That'd be very generous of you, fish out of water…" Peter said, "I'm pretty sure I still get zapped regardless by just touching."

"Then give it your best shot…" Eel said wanting Peter to physically attack him. Peter curled up his fists before trying to land a couple of blows. Rather than get shocked, Peter found his fists being rebound by the surface of Eel's rubbery suit. He then put a palm on the suit and realised it was coated with a lubricant-like substance.

"What's the matter?" Eel taunted, "I heard stories that you lifted up a car. Now you're telling me, you can't punch a single man?" "What's with his suit?" Peter thought, "It's not just rubbery… It's way too slippery to even poke him." "I wish I can mess around more, but I have to run." Eel said before attempting to pick up the suitcase he was supposed to retrieve.

Saito then fired his gun at Eel which hit his shoulder causing him to retaliate by sending sparks of electricity all over the place. One line of lighting hit Peter backwards while another hit Saito on the ribcage. George was lucky enough to avoid being shocked.

Peter got up but not before Eel had made the dash and left the precinct in its ruined state. Looking around for civilians, Peter found George attempting to help Saito up. "You okay there, officer?" Peter asked. "You and I need to catch up…" George replied as he carried the police captain.

After George sat Captain Saito down on the pathway, he began conversing with Peter. "Where were you the last time you went to Flushing?" George asked. "I… Uh…" Peter stammered, "Personal stuff in my life." "Is that so? Almost makes me want to ask who you really are behind that mask…" George replied.

Peter felt a little awkward considering he walked out with George from Romita's Restaurant. "Listen, there's another problem besides Hammerhead that's happening right now." Peter said. "Oh I know that…Just by those suitcases alone, Hammerhead is literally attacking police precincts as we speak." George said.

"Then I guess I'll see you later…" Peter replied before attempting to leave. "Wait!" George said, "There actually aren't too many police precincts being targeted. Only a select few have DB-127 hidden in them." "Well, why don't we stop him before they're attacked?" Peter asked.

"I'm afraid that time has passed, I had reports from Rego Park and Jackson Heights that their samples had been stolen." George revealed, "Guess that's what you get when you can't be everywhere." "Officer…" Peter stated, "Tell me, what do you know of rubber suit man now?"

"Edward Lavell?" George replied, "For a guy in the Maggia, his history is a mystery to us still. By the way, call me Deputy." "Deputy… What about that suit of his?" Peter asked again, "Do you guys know anything about it?"

"Well, I can tell you…His suit is coated with something like grease. Makes it easy for him to conduct electricity and easy for us to not get a grip on him. Our forensics haven't got good data on its identity." George informed. "I think I'll take care of that…" Peter said as he went back to scan the environment where he and Eel fought in.

In addition to having heightened senses to danger, Peter's Spidey-sense also allowed him to be more aware of the particles and chemicals around him. Using his eye lens, he traced out a small sample of the substance that would be hard for the naked eye to see.

"Bingo…" Peter said as he swabbed it up with a finger and stored it in a small bottle inside his utility belt, "Hopefully I have the right tools to analyse all this." Peter walked back to George who was doing his best to nurse his superior. "Listen, I got a few samples of the trail left behind by our fish friend. I'll catch you later…" Peter said.

"Wait, don't you have a phone number?" George questioned. "I'll…Work on that. I'll get that walkie talkie running again." Peter answered knowing that giving a phone number could give away his identity. "See ya…" Peter said before swinging away.

"So you've been contacting the Spider, huh?" Captain Saito asked, "What the hell are you doing, George?" "If I was still captain of the base, you would have understood this decision better…" George remarked.

* * *

 _8:05 pm Roxxon Brand Corporation Power Plant…_

Roxxon's history had been heavily rooted in controversy ever since it started as a petroleum and gas company back in the 1930s. To become of the most profitable businesses in the world, some of the hardest decisions had to be made in order for it to function.

The company had since then spawned new divisions to tap into new energy sources for profit, one of which was the Brand Corporation Power Plant stationed around Maspeth. The power plant was a large industrial building with the words 'Roxxon Brand Corporation' splattered on top of a blank billboard.

Hammerhead rallied up a new squad of men alongside his personal aide, Jonas Harrow as they marched out of their vehicles and passed through the security gate with ease. "This is the place…" Jonas commented. "Always wanted my share of this company…Hopefully dreams do come true…" Hammerhead responded.

Two security guards were soon alerted as Hammerhead and the rest of his Maggia crew marched up to the entrance and were prepared to fire on spot. "Settle down…" Hammerhead said raising up a hand, "Got a word, I'd like to have with the plant manager."

"Then put away all your weapons…" One guard warned. Hammerhead then clicked his fingers with the men throwing down their rifles and such to the ground. "Got a couple of words I'd like to say… For Mr. James Melvin." Hammerhead repeated by mentioning the plant manager's name.

"What do you want?" The other guard asked. "I need his help to sort out a citywide problem." Hammerhead replied, "One that I expect you're already of." "We can't afford to help people like you…" The guard said again.

Hammerhead titled his head a little before walking forward, "And what about your company? Had enough of the shady dealings?" Hammerhead then grabbed the guard by the collar prompting his companion to aim his weapon at Hammerhead.

Hammerhead's men swiftly picked up their weapons directing it at the armed guard. "I'm all about organisation. I have the audacity to come right through and knock on your doors." Hammerhead threatened before he headbutted his victim.

The guard aiming his gun fired a bullet which bounced off Hammerhead's forehead. Hammerhead looked at the guard before laughing, "You know…If I had the resources, I probably settle for some rocket launchers."

With the rest of his men aiming their weapon at him, Hammerhead walked forward with the intent on delivering the same blow onto the guard. "Hey, stop right there!" An overweight man wearing a protective construction uniform yelled walking out of the door.

Hammerhead dropped the guard and turned his attention to the man, "Mr. Melvin… Lovely to meet you." "What are you doing around my plant?" James asked. "With all due respects, I need your help…" Hammerhead said pretending to plead.

James laughed, "You need my help? The infamous Hammerhead?" Jonas who was with the Maggia crew walked up and approached the situation. "Remember me?" Jonas asked with a smile on his face. "Dr. Jonas Harrow? We fired your ass five months ago!" James said surprised.

"Our current enemies have been walking around with 'negative energy'. Jonas here thinks your generators have the capacity to turn the tide." Hammerhead stated. "And that was when I helped conduct your superhuman experiments…" Jonas added.

"Our electromagnetic generators are for the sole purpose of providing the neighbourhood with sustainable energy; not weapons." James said. "Then take us inside, Mr. Melvin…" Hammerhead insisted while he was threatened.

James Melvin did as the Maggia asked and lead the crew inside with their weapons as well. The insides of the plant was a well-constructed and surprisingly sterile work environment that held three other floors. There were late night scientists walking on these floors who started to notice the Maggia crew beneath them.

"As you can see, we're pretty much the scientific division for Roxxon…" James started. "Cut the crap, Melvin. I'm not here for a tour. I'm here for the generators." Hammerhead stated cutting James's words short. "Okay…Uh.. But why Roxxon?" James asked curiously as they walked.

"Couple years ago before I was a Maggia leader, we were looking for ways to change the world. Like your company, we ambitiously pursued discoveries that delivered power to us. There was an experiment involving some young boy the Maggia old-timer Silvermane was conducting." Hammerhead stated.

"'Bridging the power between light and dark'; some nonsense like that. That power of course is based on your company's own findings and now we have a weapon on the loose… And if we don't stop him, he will find ourselves at mercy…" Hammerhead concluded.

As they walked, James lead Hammerhead and his crew to the generator room. The power generators were chrome cylindrical looking tanks that housed mysterious energy inside them. "I wonder how many households are getting their electricity through these?" Jonas asked.

"This neighbourhood is grateful for our service and we could not be prouder of these machines…" James said as he showed them off. "So, what's packing inside them? I hear this place is hiding 'interdimensional' energy." Hammerhead questioned.

"We have trademarked energy called, 'Arvad Particles'. It's electromagnetic energy that continuously accelerates and with little environmental impact. Thanks to our genius, we have harnessed one of the world's greatest energy sources." James proudly spoke again.

"I'm no scientist, Melvin. But do tell me about important properties…" Hammerhead insisted. James thought that Hammerhead was lacking in scientific intelligence and proceeded to explain it, "Well, uh… I wish one of the chief physicists who worked on this energy was still around. It's like a hurricane of energy… It's technically speaking dangerous because it rips the molecules off your body but we've trained ourselves to manage it."

"Is that so?" Hammerhead smiled. "Okay, how much are you willing to pay for all of these?" James asked curiously. Hammerhead then ordered some of his men to restrain James. "Hey, what are you doing?" James asked confused.

"Come along, James…" Hammerhead said, "I've got to see these up close and personal." The men followed Hammerhead as he walked near one of the generators. The scientists managing the machines looked unsure as James was dragged.

"Would any of you people care to show me what the inside of the generator looks like?" Hammerhead asked as the rest of his men threatened the scientists. One scientist unlocked the secure door withholding the energy. Once it was opened, Hammerhead saw the swirling wave of energy from a distance.

"Amazing…" Jonas commented. "Rips away energy, huh?" Hammerhead theorised before turning to James, "Amazing work indeed…Unfortunately seems like this place needs a change in leadership around here." Hammerhead smirked, "Throw him in…"

"Hey, stop!" James yelled as Hammerhead's men carefully dragged him closer to the generator. "I promise all of you an ease on your workload once we're finished here…" Hammerhead said to any of the Roxxon employees. Considering, the amount of labour there is at Roxxon, it was fitting that hardly anyone was going to miss a man like James Melvin who had forced many to develop the energy harnessing generators.

"NOOO!" James screamed as he was thrown into the machine before being ripped apart into tiny particles by the swirling vortex. The generator was then carefully shut for security. "The rest of you won't have to work as hard in your life when I take control of this plant!" Hammerhead called out.

Turning to Jonas, Hammerhead gave out a set of instructions to him. "We need to inform Mr. Lavell of a new task. Also see if there is a control panel room for these generators." Hammerhead instructed. Jonas nodded before walking off. "Time to put power back in business. Get a move around this place, boys…" Hammerhead said to his men.

* * *

 _8:19 pm Romita's restaurant…_

"Sorry I'm late…" Peter said rushing back to the table. "Was it the food?" Helen asked, "I'm terribly if that's the case." "No… I mean, in a way… Yes. But I did enjoy it, Mrs. Stacy. Don't get me wrong." Peter said tucking in his shirt. "I'm glad to hear that…" Helen smiled.

"We're still waiting on the cake, Peter." Aunt May informed. "Well, at least there's that…" Peter said laughing. "A shame dad is gonna miss it…" Simon Stacy added. Helen sighed, "Couldn't be here to sing happy birthday…"

Helen then received a text from George that was a 'happy birthday' gif image on her phone. "At least, he's trying to care, mum…" Gwen said to her. "Gwen, what did I say about looking onto people's phones?" Helen asked. "Sorry…" Gwen mumbled before looking at Peter making sure she did not embarrass herself.

Peter gave Gwen a reassuring look to inform that situations like this are common. "Oh lovely, just look at that cake…" Helen stated as a cake with white frosted icing was placed on the table. The words 'Happy birthday Helen' were written out in blue whipped cream with sixteen candles on top.

"Why sixteen candles?" Gwen asked confused. "Just your father being a movie fan, dear…" Helen replied. "I liked that movie…" Aunt May added chuckling. It was then time for all of them to sing 'Happy Birthday' which briefly caught the attention of other people in the restaurant.

"Remember, leave one piece for George…" Helen said as the people started to take their individual pieces of cake. Simon wanted to take two pieces before Helen stopped him. Peter enjoyed himself as he ate while Gwen was attempting to be well-mannered.

After the cake was done, it was time for the families to go home. Helen and Simon waved goodbye at Peter and May as they were about to leave. "Thank you for joining us tonight. We really appreciate it." Helen said turning to Gwen briefly.

"Uh…Peter. I…" Gwen then could not help herself as she gave Peter a light peck on the cheek. "Thank you for being here tonight. It obviously means a lot to me and…My family." Gwen said before leaving with her family in the car, "Goodnight."

"It was nice meeting you by the way, Mrs. Parker. I wouldn't mind meeting you again." Helen said shaking May's hand. "Not to worry.. I'm glad me and my nephew made a good impression." May said before Helen left, "Well, Peter… Time to go home ourselves."

* * *

 _8:55 pm Parker residence…_

Driving Peter home, May stopped the car in front of the house. "I'm so glad we got to meet the full family tonight…" May commented happily. "Yeah, me too…" Peter said. "By the way, I noticed that little light kiss on the cheek, Peter." May poking Peter's cheek teasingly.

"Cut it out, Aunt May…" Peter chuckled. "I can see she's a little shy though…" May added. "Really? She's more confident than I can ever be…" Peter said getting out of the car. As they got out of the car, the two continued talking.

"Well, confidence is what helped you with the girl next door." May said. "I don't know, Aunt May…" Peter said as he unlocked the house door, "I feel so… Conflicted." "I'm no love doctor but I can say that you can try contrast her with Mary Jane to see what you want to do." May stated.

"I'm going to catch up on assignments. Good night, Aunt May…" Peter said walking up the stairs. "Goodnight…" May's voice followed. As Peter headed to room, he started to change out of the formal suit.

Peter took the clothes off including his Spider-Man costume which he had tucked underneath. Along with the suit, he threw down his mask which he had kept hidden inside his coat. "God it felt weird…" Peter said to himself remembering how uncomfortable the utility belt was.

Examining the suit for damage during the fight against Eel, Peter saw that his suit was relatively in good shape still and tucked it beneath his bed. "Gotta check with Team Spider-Man…" Peter said as he opened up his phone to call Ned first.

"Ned… You there?" Peter asked after dialling the number. "Hey Peter… I can't talk right now." Ned responded. "What's wrong?" Peter asked again. Ned sighed before talking, "It's my mum. I'm taking care of her right now. I'm sorry…But she needs my help." "Whoa…Is there anything I can do to help?" Peter asked.

"No, don't worry about it…" Ned said, "I know how to deal with this." "Ned, don't isolate yourself like this… If it's serious…" Peter said. "Dude…I appreciate you wanting to help…But there's some things only we can handle ourselves." Ned said.

Peter was silent before Ned continued talking. "I'm afraid I have to cut this conversation short… Look, the whole partnership thing was fun. But you know… My mum's in trouble. Why don't you talk to Phil?" Ned questioned, "Good night, Peter."

The phone call stopped and Peter worried that Ned is dealing with some family drama behind him and that it was best for him to respect his privacy. He then dialled Phillip Chang for help. "Phil, you there? I need your help." Peter spoke.

"Sure, name your problems…" Phillip answered. "Thank you…" Peter replied, "So I need some information regarding a guy working for Hammerhead. Rubber suit dude who can shoot electricity. Yes, you heard me right… A guy working for Hammerhead, not Chameleon."

"Edward Lavell, huh? You know it's kind of funny, Peter…" Phillip said. "What's funny?" Peter asked confused. "Unlike the rest of your suited lot. There's very little info I can run regarding this guy…" Phillip answered. "Goddamnit, I don't care about backstory. He's a huge enforcer that's still roaming around." Peter said, "I need to know if you're available for some tech upgrades."

"Tech upgrades? I hate to break it for you…But I've recently caught up with my studies. It's kind of my fault since I'm cramming but I got things I need to do." Phillip said. "Are you kidding? Phil, you're like a genius. You always have time to kill." Peter praised.

"Not now. This time, I'm going to be obedient. I'm sorry…Times are tough now. But...I can give the briefest amount of info possible." Phillip said. "Alright…" Peter sighed, "Do you have anything at all that might bring down a man who is slippery?" "Maybe construct tighter webs…" Phillip advised.

"I need to know how to knock him down as well." Peter added. "I'm not too familiar with chemistry… That you have to figure out by yourself." Phillip said. "That's not much help, Phillip…" Peter said saying his first name completely.

"Dude, listen to me. We've been doing this whole thing for like three years now. It was pretty easy back but now it's clear how much has changed. We're not saving cats from trees anymore like we used to nor are we stopping ordinary bank robbers. We've been facing a large charade of things recently…" Phillip stated.

"The Shocker, The Kangaroo, Beetle, Cyclone…Those guys aren't your run of the mill bad guys. And let's not forget that your one arch-nemesis knows who you really are. I know I report the crime; help you develop new things/suits…All that stuff one of these days is all gonna be on you." Phillip continued, "You gotta take responsibility onto your hands."

"Phil, are you abandoning me?" Peter asked in disbelief. "I'm always your friend, Peter. I stick up for every one of your crusades and it's one of the proudest things I've been involved with…" Phillip said, "I can still send in the remaining Spider-tech specs if you want via email."

"Well, there's that…" Peter sighed. "I'm not backing out for my own safety… I'm backing out because of how much I need to reconnect with my life and help you evolve. I mean the White Dragon, even with his death…There's so much for my family to deal with now." Phillip said.

"Okay, Phil. I guess you really do deserve this break…" Peter replied. "Good luck with the rest of everything. Don't get killed and… That's it. Goodbye." Phillip then ended the call. Thus, Peter was left to deal with everything based on his own mind with both of his friends left to deal with personal issues.

Peter reached for his suit beneath the bed and brought out the bottled sample he got from Eel from the utility belt. "Time to analyse this…" Peter said. He then walked up to his closet and unveiled the many other things he had hidden through time from a box.

One of the things Peter grabbed out was an old light microscope that he remembered when he went on a school excursion to Oscorp with Harry. Setting up the microscope, Peter carefully looked at the gel sample under a glass slide to reveal anything unusual.

"Looks like its from planet Earth…" Peter remarked before deciding to test out some properties. Using his web shooters, Peter shot an electrified web at the substance causing it to spark up a little and break the microscope.

"Peter, what's happening up there?" Aunt May yelled. "Nothing…Just physics work." Peter said before he smelt something burning from the microscope. "Of course…" Peter said, "Heat… If I could build more tensile strong webs…I could melt off that suit."

* * *

 _9:10 pm Inner Demon hideout…_

After the heist was pulled off, Chameleon and Martin came back to a place that was supposedly where Martin manages his Inner Demon gang. "I'm very grateful for this gift, Mr. Li…" Chameleon said as his outfit morphed into a black and white business suit similar to Martin's. "Thank me later…We'll use those gifts of yours for other purposes…" Martin replied.

Chameleon was surrounded by many Inner Demon gang members in the middle of an abandoned workshop. The amount of demon masks around him made someone like him feel uneasy as it felt like they had power over him.

"First and foremost, we must show you what it means to be part of the Inner Demons…" Martin said before two members dragged a man with no mask from the shadows. Changing to his photonegative self, Martin spawned out a blade searing with his negative energy.

Chameleon then recognised it was the scientist he impersonated when infiltrating the Oscorp building, Dr. Eric Schwinner. The head scientist of the Oscorp Innovation Centre was gagged with his hands tied up.

Using the tip of his blade, Martin cut off Eric's restraints. "Thank you for your cooperation, doctor…" Martin said. "That's my property you're wearing…" Eric said turning to Chameleon. Martin then grabbed Eric on the head, "Isn't your company supposed to be a people's company?"

"Mr. Osborn will go after you once he comes back from his holiday trip…" Eric said to Martin's face. "Your boss only cares about the products you make more than the people he's hired…" Martin said understanding what Oscorp is, "A sad world we live in with regards to people with power."

Eric did not speak any further at the sight of the blade drew near to his heart. "You'll be missed, doctor. Your tragedy will not be in vain once I speak up about it." Martin said before pushing in the blade. Eric dropped the floor once Martin pulled the blade and let go of his head.

Chameleon stood there feeling a little cold from the actions and looked at Martin in the eye slowly. Martin slowly changed back to regular form as the blade from his hand disappeared. "Now, Mr. Smerdyakov. Let's talk about you…" Martin stated.

"Why would I risk the murder of this man?" Chameleon questioned referring to Eric's death. "Listen to me, Dmitri…" Martin insisted, "What you are about to do is highly important for securing your future." "Name it…" Chameleon requested in fear of Martin's powers.

"I heard that you managed to kill eight of Hammerhead's men one time all by yourself. Impressive for a man of your talents…" Martin said, "You're an in demand individual beyond your tools of impersonation." "That's not a mission…" Chameleon replied.

"Not yet. It's a duty…" Martin continued, "Your gift isn't just the fabric shifter. You now have a computer chip wired into that holographic device of yours. You can be anywhere…" Chameleon responded by tampering his wrist watch which caused his facial and skin appearance to rapidly toggle between a variety of appearances both male and female.

He then toggled back to his original pale white face. "I'm not here to treat you like a servant nor are you a second-in-command in my gang. I'm here to be equal friends, we both are special in our own way." Martin said. "I like the way you said that…" Chameleon replied.

"I want you to know…When my men find Hammerhead, will you do the honours in killing him?" Martin requested. Warming up to his new ally, Chameleon nodded, "That is the end goal for me after all."

TO BE CONTINUED…


	15. The Hammer Falls (End)

SPIDER-MAN: THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITY (CHAPTER 15)

 **WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS REALLY WORDY AS IT'S TECHNICALLY TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE. TAKE YOUR TIME READING THIS.**

 _12:35 am Somewhere around Queens…_

Peter had managed to finish up the new touches for his webs as he swung around late at night to resume his mission in stopping all of the criminal activity that is happening thanks to Hammerhead. He fitted himself a pair of orange rubber gloves that used to be owned by Uncle Ben, who had worked as an electrician.

"Alright, Uncle Ben…" Peter said looking at the gloves, "We're in the end game of this now. Please help me pull through this." Perching on top of a tree, Peter took out the walkie talkie he was entrusted with by George Stacy.

"Deputy? Are you there?" Peter tried saying into the device as it crackled upon being turned on. It took a couple of seconds before a voice replied to him. "Spider-Man? "George's voice groaned indicating that he had been asleep.

"Sorry to disturb your sleep cycle, but I need an update on police intel…" Peter explained, "Heard anything about our fish friend, Edward Lavell?" "Hang on…" George grumbled as Peter listened in on him getting up.

Moments later, George gave an answer, "Our current leads have been keeping an eye out for power plants. They say he's been seen trying to destroy the DB-127 substance by generating enough power to blow the stuff up. If I was still captain, I'd sip on coffee all night till we get through with catching him…"

"Unfortunately, I'm in a lower position and no offence to my colleague who's captain now… I don't think he has the energy to pull through. Our precinct has been destroyed and it's hard going around town getting to our resources." George continued.

"I'll deal with this… You can have your nap…" Peter replied. "Spider-Man, why don't I send you a map of locations that are being targeted?" George asked, "Do you seriously not have a phone number I can actually send to? It'd be a lot easier."

Again, Peter struggled as it was one way his secret identity could be leaked. And even if George was one of the honest cops who believed in him, he was reluctant to bring him into the fold because of the potential risk he could bring for George's career and safety. He also worried the consequences it could have against Gwen.

Peter's Spidey-sense then sprung to life as he heard the sounds of a small explosion, the lights near him all switched off indicating a blackout. "I gotta go…Seems like I have a lead…" Peter said as he switched off the walkie talkie and put it away. "Wait, what?" George said as his voice was muted.

"Better reach the power plant nearby… Should lead me to where he is…" Peter thought before swinging away.

* * *

 _1:05 am Oscorp Power Plant…_

The nearby power plant which was owned by Oscorp was a mess as Peter arrived onto the scene. The transformers surrounding the area were broken as sparks flew. Using his flashlight lens, Peter looked around to study what had happened.

"Where could 'fish out of water' be?" Peter wondered as he slowly traversed the environment while avoiding the electricity. As Peter tiptoed around the corner, he noticed a trail of black negative energy that was associated with the Inner Demon gang.

Being near the energy made Peter a little queasy but it did not stop him from snooping around and seeing a broken suitcase in pieces which had bits of energy surrounding it. Peter noted that it was the same grey colour and also made out the letter 'D' on one part of the suitcase.

"This must be the stuff that Gwen's dad told me about…" Peter thought, "DB-127…" Suddenly, Peter felt a little creeped out as his Spidey-sense tingled as if he was stalked by a horror movie monster. A jolt of electricity came towards him to which Peter responded by turning around and held his gloved hands in the air.

The blast ended as Peter stood there and resisted the electrical blow through his rubber gloves. "Snaking up behind me, huh?" Peter said as he still held his hands up in the air. "Sorry you had to see the mess right there…" Eel called out from the dark, "But I had to find a good way to fry up the package."

"By cutting off the power supply of hundreds of New Yorkers? Gee… I wonder what the people staying up all night to watch Netflix would be doing right now." Peter said. "I know I got your attention by doing this. And you're definitely not here to sell your humour against me." Eel said trying to take the situation seriously.

"Well I give that out for free, like all the time…Generally speaking…" Peter replied. "Say…I'm surprised you borrowed a pair of gloves to this fight." Eel said. "Figures it helps with the amount of times you've zapped me." Peter answered back.

Eel shot out another streak of electricity at Peter's direction which Peter dodged. "You don't have to dodge my attacks, those gloves will do the job." Eel remarked. "So far, it's just you and me, Ed…" Peter said. Eel then repeated the same attack to which Peter dodged again.

"So how much is Hammerhead paying you to do his bidding? Is he gonna pay for the damages of this place?" Peter asked as he tried to form up a plan of attack while dodging. "I'll charge him real good for this one…" Eel said attempting to follow Peter's movements.

"Is that supposed to be a pun?" Peter said as he leapt off the top of a transformer before being hit. "It means that I'm not just a simple enforcer for him…" Eel said. "Ah, so do you want to call it quits now, so you can get your summer vacation?" Peter joked.

As the jolts of electricity kept spraying, Peter plotted on how he could web up his foe considering that physical attacks have little effect against him. "Gotta find a way to strap him up for good." Peter thought right before Eel stopped shooting and attempted to pounce at him.

"Whoa, did you grow up being a gymnast?" Peter asked as Eel tried to grab him with his electrified hands. "I've been through a lot of training to earn a suit like this…" Eel said as Peter kept his distance. "Oh, did the Maggia teach you to swim then?" Peter joked before trying to grab out a gadget from his utility belt.

In the midst of searching for a web bomb and a trip mine, Eel sent a shocking punch across Peter's jawline knocking him down. One web bomb fell out of Peter's hands as Eel pinned him down. Noticing the sphere-like object, Eel reached for it.

"Little toy of yours?" Eel asked, "Looks shiny…" "I don't use them unless I have to…" Peter replied while being choked. Eel crushed the web bomb and snickered as soon as his hand was covered in web. The satisfaction turned into disappointment when Eel discovered the web was stronger than usual.

"Da hell?" Eel said before Peter slipped away from the grip as the Maggia enforcer tried to rid the webbing. "Yeah.. Had get some little touch ups for myself, you see…" Peter said knowing he created a new form of web back at home to combat the amount of friction there is on Eel.

Eel was slightly distracted by the webbing which gave Peter more time to figure out what angles would let him tie down the rubber-suited man easily. The quick-thinking mind of Peter's kicked in as he began dropping down trip mines at different spots while circling around his foe.

The trip mines had heat sensors on them which causes them to shoot out webs in reaction to the target nearby. Eel struggled as the webs tied him down, even by activating electrical shocks they would not come off as easily as before.

To add another layer of struggle, Peter threw another web bomb at Eel which splattered across his body and cause high tensile silk to latch on. "So what if you have better webs? It can't last forever and there's no way in hell you can punch my face in. Not while I'm still wearing this suit." Eel said.

"Yeah about that suit…" Peter said before shooting out a string of regular web and running a jolt of electricity. Eel initially felt the tickle of the electricity shot out which nearly prompted him to laugh. That was until Peter detached the web off the web shooter and onto a transformer.

Megavolts of electricity were amplified in the process leading to Eel screeching in pain as he felt his suit begin to melt down. Peter watched as he noted the face mask was also starting to fall apart. He then stopped the transfer of electricity by snapping the string off as quick as possible without letting the electrical shock get to him. This was helped with the rubber gloves he had on him.

Worn down and possibly scarred, Eel looked down and breathed heavily in an attempt to catch his breath from all the electricity. Peter took off the damaged rubber mask to reveal the face of Edward Lavell. "Gotta hand it to you… You must have… Went through so many lengths… To coordinate that big shock." Eel said.

"Well, this is like the second or third time I fought you. Not counting the times I was possessed." Peter said. Dropping off the mask, Peter began to interrogate Eel, "Alright, Mr. Unagi. Since you claimed to be close to Hammerhead… How about you tell me where he is and what he is up to."

Before a direct answer could be given, Peter heard the sounds of Mandarin close by forcing him to turn around. "We're in deep trouble now…" Eel remarked knowing the danger that is approaching. In the dark, Peter saw with his flashlight eyes three Inner Demons carrying flashlight guns walking forward.

"Give us the prisoner…" One member said in English. "Fancy seeing you guys here…" Peter said, "But sorry, I don't think I can give you what you want." "Then you leave us no choice…" The member replied before he signalled the other two men to fire.

Peter dodged and webbed one gun out of the Inner Demons hand before swinging the weapon onto the face of all three knocking them. Using his fists, Peter punched and kicked all three down rendering them unconscious. He then turned back to check on Eel.

"I think one of them got me on the shoulder…" Eel said huffing in pain. "At least, you're alive still…" Peter said attempting to free Eel from his binds. "They don't fire regular bullets, you know?" Eel said.

"Am I expecting something?" Peter questioned. "Yes, you are." Eel replied before suddenly reacting strangely. Peter watched in horror as Eel turned photonegative monochrome for a brief moment before his eyes rolled right back. The next thing, Peter knew was that Eel stopped breathing.

"No…" Peter said as he ripped the webbing off Eel. Holding onto the dead body of Edward Lavell, Peter examined the bullet wound. Examining the crisped up body, Peter discovered the fresh bullet wound. It was still fresh but Peter felt something else as he noted traces of negative energy.

"What kind of side effect is this?" Peter wondered before letting Eel go and standing up. Using the walkie talkie, Peter informed George of the grim discovery, "Hey Deputy, I stopped 'fish out of water'. But I've got bad news." "What exactly?" George asked.

"Mr. Lavell is dead, shot on the shoulder by one of the Demon guys." Peter explained. "That doesn't sound right. People can get back up from bullets to the shoulder." George replied. "Unless your bullets are infused by their magic." Peter said back.

"There's no doubt the Demons are finally stepping up their game. I've been getting word that Hammerhead is trying to rile them up." George said. "Are the other guys we locked up, okay?" Peter asked. "They're all fine as far as I know. Transfer to Ryker's is happening. Kangaroo and Cyclone are specifically considered for the Raft." George answered, "We need a lead on Hammerhead now."

"I'm gonna try punch something out of those Demon guys." Peter said, "Stay sharp, officer Stacy." Peter hung up the walkie talkie and approached one of the unconscious Demon members. "Here comes the big hand." Peter said looking down at one of them.

Peter knelt down and took off the mask before giving one big slap on the face. Peter did so repeatedly until the man got up and tried to possess him. In swift retaliation, Peter jumped back and webbed the hands of his assailant up. "What is it with you guys wanting to mind control everyone, the moment you spot them?" Peter questioned.

The man struggled as his hands were tied up. "Great…Now I don't have any of those webs left…" Peter said realising he used a lot of synthetic mechanised webbing against Eel. "But at least the gloves made it." Peter said relieved that his uncle's belongings were safe.

Turning to the man again, Peter began asking questions, "You know where Hammerhead is? Or where your leader is at least?" "We do not speak to the enemy…" The man answered before Peter punched him. "I thought you guys put me on your side, come on… At least you guys will be happy to see me stop Mr. H." Peter said.

Police sirens sounded nearby as Peter heard police officers drew near with German Shepard dogs barking. "Stay right there!" An officer called drawing out a gun. "Uh officers, you might want to help me. If this guy talks, we can learn where to find Hammerhead." Peter responded.

The dogs were ordered to stop barking as Peter attempted to interrogate the man. "You know how many people I can take down right? Just tell me where I can find any of them." Peter demanded. Finally the man spoke, "The Roxxon Brand Corporation…Hammerhead is stationed there."

For the first time, Peter got a proper word out of a Demon's mouth instead of the crazy talk that he expected from their gang. "Oh you hear that? Useful information…" Peter said, "Anyway, you guys take care of this place. I need to be elsewhere."

Swinging away without any gunfire, Peter made his way out of the power plant leaving all the evidence for the police to deal with. His new goal was to stop Hammerhead for good.

* * *

 _1:32 am Roxxon Brand Corporation Power Plant…_

Hammerhead had fortified the power plant and forced the employees there to work under his leadership. He was determined to squash his enemies once and for all by luring Mr. Negative and his gang to the area where he could render their supernatural powers useless.

There were two things that concerned him in which he did not know how to prepare for. There was the issue on Chameleon's whereabouts and also the issue of having to deal with Spider-Man if he comes around.

Two Roxxon company trucks rolled in front of the power plant gate entrance. Hammerhead's men observed that is may be part of the attack the Inner Demons were preparing and loaded up their weapons. "Boss, I think they're here…." One man said in his walkie talkie as he loaded a sniper rifle in front of the gate entrance.

Inside the power plant, Hammerhead waited in the generator control room with Jonas Harrow to give out the order. "Hands on the lever, Jonas. I'm ready to give them a ride." Hammerhead ordered before talking back to the henchman, "Keep your eyes peppered on them and prepare the arsenal."

Mr. Negative himself got out of one of the trucks wearing a demonic mask. "Sir, it's him…" The sniper said as he watched on. "Restrain yourself…We've got something else we can hit him with." Hammerhead said. Swinging his blade around, Mr. Negative was ready to lead an assault.

"Attack!" Mr. Negative yelled causing a group of Inner Demon gang members to get out of their vehicles and start firing. Hammerhead's men were startled before they were gunned down by the Demons. The remaining Demons used the trucks to ram through

"Let them in," Hammerhead ordered smiling at delight upon hearing gunfire through the microphone, "It's time for all of them to take the bait." Hammerhead's men began retreating back inside when word of their boss's orders came around.

* * *

 _1:42 am…_

Peter arrived at the scene attracted by the sounds of gunfire and yelling that was happening. "Oh man, now that's a sight to behold…" Peter said perching on top of a lamppost. "Mr. Stacy, I'm at the place." Peter said speaking to the walkie talkie, "Looks like a bit of a party going judging by the flashing lights."

"There's officers coming your way. Also try and keep the employees safe from all of this. They're the ones suffering from Hammerhead's misguided war on others." George advised. "I'll try keep the body count low as much as possible." Peter said before switching off to face the problem.

Pushing through, Mr. Negative's skill in fighting proved to be too experienced for Hammerhead's men as they were cut left and right despite their use of firearms which Mr. Negative's sword blocked.

The Inner Demons were adding much more support as they covered their leader as he marched through the hallways bringing much fear in Hammerhead's men as much as possible. With only Hammerhead in Mr. Negative's mind, the Roxxon employees were left alone as they knelt down and put their hands behind their head.

Mr. Negative then noticed that Hammerhead's men were all fleeing to the direction of the generator room. "Hold." Mr. Negative said putting a hand up in front of his people. Kneeling down in front of gunned down henchmen of Hammerhead's, Mr. Negative looked at the body behind his mask.

He then tapped the wrist on his arm and slowly transformed himself to match the likeness of the man. At this moment, it turned out Mr. Negative was Chameleon in disguise all along and that the real Mr. Negative had persuaded him to take the lead.

Taking off his mask and putting away the blade through negative energy manipulation, Chameleon sought to fool Hammerhead and his people through the technology acquired from Oscorp. Pretending to be wounded, he ordered the Inner Demons to stay behind as he went ahead to see what was going on.

"Stay here until I confirm the coast is clear…" Chameleon said letting his Russian accent slip a little while hobbling to the generator room to pretend that he is injured. Meanwhile, Peter took out some Inner Demon gang members and occasionally some of Hammerhead's men along the way as he picked up the trail of where Chameleon went.

While doing so, Peter instructed the Roxxon employees who were held hostage to make their way out of the power plant. "Head for the main doors carefully, don't worry, there will be police officers to save you also." Peter said before heading down the hallway.

Chameleon on the other hand entered the generator room grasping his chest which caught the attention of Hammerhead's men. "Well looks like Bernie here has made it with just one hole." One man commented. "Take it easy, man. This room is a safehouse for us." The other said, "So long as we keep our distance."

"Gotta speak with the boss." Chameleon said in a normal American accent, "Where's he at now?" "The control room of course." The man said before Chameleon made his way forward. Chameleon hobbled his way up some stairs to the control room stationed on a metal platform.

Hammerhead stood alone casually assembling up a tommy gun. "What do you want?" Hammerhead asked as he slid in the bullets. "The Demons… They're just outside." Chameleon said pretending he was injured. "Oh, then you're gonna love the surprise when they come in." Hammerhead said.

"What might that be?" Chameleon asked curiously. "Take a look." Hammerhead then pointed out in a certain direction for Chameleon to see. Looking at the overview of the generator room, Chameleon saw Jonas help some men fit on some form of cannon blaster on their arms.

"See that? This whole place specialises in electromagnetic stuff. We're gonna strip away all that energy the Demon guys cough up using this tech. Better yet, we vaporise them out of existence." Hammerhead explained before taking note of Chameleon's false injury. "Feeling queasy?" Hammerhead asked.

"What?" Chameleon asked back. "If you've been shot by those Demon guys, you would have dropped dead by now. You know they lace their bullets with negative energy, right?" Hammerhead questioned with a bit suspicion. "On the contrary, I heard that the effects of negative energy vary." Chameleon said without a nerve.

"Where did you learn this stuff?" Hammerhead said walking slowly up to Chameleon. "From your doctor, of course." Chameleon said trying to excuse himself. "Jonas?" Hammerhead questioned before grabbing Chameleon by the shirt and slamming him on the control panel.

"I have a funny feeling that you'd be here. Dmitri…" Hammerhead said knowing that it was not one of his men. At this point, Chameleon could only admit to this deception and kicked away Hammerhead. Pushing Hammerhead back, Chameleon changed to his true self and tried attacking Hammerhead with his plasma knife.

Despite Chameleon being an expert fighter, Hammerhead being a man of control did have some punches up his sleeve. Getting up, he swung his fists around randomly while Chameleon ducked and weaved. The result of the wild thrashing caused Hammerhead hit a few buttons which switched up the generators.

The generators started to cause a strange sound to echo leading to a group of Inner Demons coming into the room to find out what was happening. Seeing the Demons enter caused Hammerhead's men to prepare their new weapons in defence. One man fired the arm cannon which sent out a laser beam of sorts that stripped away the negative powers.

The next thing that happened was the Demon disintegrating as every last molecule in him was ripped away. Seeing this deadly weapon caused the Demons to retreat a little and refocus their strategy as the generators also slowly drained away the negative energy in them.

While Chameleon and Hammerhead were fighting as were the Inner Demons and Hammerhead's gang, Peter had just finished rescuing the remaining Roxxon employees as well as beating some of Hammerhead's men and Inner Demons on the way.

"The generator room?" Peter said as he tracked the sound of the generator down. Using his superhuman strength, Peter broke down the door and was greeted by the sounds of gunfire and sizzling. Peter watched as Hammerhead's men were utilising arm cannons that shot particle beams against the Inner Demons, who were still putting up an equal fight despite their power limitations.

Jonas Harrow looked left and right before fleeing which caught Peter's attention. Jumping up and swinging in the air, Peter made an effort to grab the fleeing doctor. "Oh hey doctor, been a while." Peter said grabbing him and making him feel terrified by the gravity of the swing. As this happened, Peter stuck him onto a wall midway and high from ground.

After sticking Hammerhead's doctor, Peter focused his attention to the men that were attacking each other. Their attention shifted when they saw Peter, "Look out, it's Spider-Man!" Despite the new tech they had, they were the same old goons Peter fought in the past as regular thugs.

Even the remaining Inner Demons were taken care of not only because their powers were weakened by the generators but also because Peter learnt what makes them unique from other criminals. Beating down as many of the henchmen there are, Peter finally could focus on what is important. "Can't wait to tie all these guys up in a neat little bow." Peter said.

Near the control room, Chameleon continued struggling in his fight with Hammerhead who was defending himself good. "I hired you and to think you treat me like a thug in a cheap suit…" Hammerhead growled as he held a hand around Chameleon's neck.

Chameleon attempted to defend himself with a bit of power endowed by Martin Li but the negative energy wasted away as the generators near them continued operating which caused Chameleon to resort to the plasma knife he had.

Even by stabbing Hammerhead, the Maggia crime lord continued fighting not letting the blood spill stop him. While this was happening, Peter got onto the metal platform and close to the control room door. "I have to shut this place down first or it could blow up." Peter said as he entered the door.

Peering down onto the control panel, despite having no experience with the operations, the emergency stop button was pretty visible for anyone to see. Peter slammed down on the button and waited until the generators shut down completely. "Sorry to the people of Queens out there." Peter said completely aware he shut down an electricity power source.

With the safety of Queens ensured, Peter was certain Hammerhead was next. Both Chameleon and Hammerhead fought desperately as they tangled on the metal platforms of the power plant. Fashioning out his silver knuckles, Hammerhead made sure every blow hurt.

Chameleon backed up a little as his former boss loomed in the distance. "That Mister Negative was a smart cookie for sending you here to do the job." Hammerhead laughed, "He understands the idea of appearances being deceiving. Ironic, is it?"

"He sent you a nice fancy suit and I bet he's waiting in a chair to hear the bloody mess." Hammerhead taunted while his forehead bled a little from the fight. "I promise you are dead by the end of this." Chameleon spat as he tried to save himself.

"No, Dmitri," Hammerhead replied, "I'd be alive long enough to clear my name and restore order in this town. While you'll become immortalised as the freak who terrorised countless New Yorkers. I bet your mother is waiting in the heavens… Dosvidaniya, you repulsive puke…"

Chameleon readied himself as Hammerhead began beating him down as much as possible with even his vibranium-laced forehead being used to knock him down. Chameleon's life-long goal of going back to his glory days were coming to an end. "Make sure you head to the lights in the sky instead of the flames down below." Hammerhead mocked as he prepared to finish Chameleon off with another head knock.

Just as Hammerhead was ready to deliver the killing blow, Peter jumped in right behind and shot out a pair of web strings that attached to both the back of Hammerhead's head and back. Tugging the two strings, Peter brought him down and attempted to drag him.

"He's a lot heavier than I thought…" Peter thought to himself as he tried dragging the crime lord. Hammerhead's instincts kicked in as he quickly got up and shook the webs off before turning around to face Spider-Man. "Fancy meeting you again, web-head…" Hammerhead said pretending to be delighted.

"It's over, Hammerhead. I'm bringing you down." Peter replied. "That the best quip you got now?" Hammerhead said rolling his eyes, "I've got a traitor to take care of and many other problems after that. Why don't you swing away? After all, we had a deal in the past."

"That deal didn't include killing him off." Peter said. "Oh right…" Hammerhead laughed pretending he did not know, "Probably should have gone with my personal enforcer in the end." "You mean Edward Lavell? Hate to break it with you, but the guy's dead by the men you hired." Peter replied.

Hammerhead stopped entertaining himself and dusted his knuckles. "Knocking you down will be double the reward for today." Hammerhead said as he charged forward like a bull. As Hammerhead came forward, Peter jumped up and leapt over to Hammerhead's back.

He then turned around and shot strings of web at Hammerhead who began using his arms to shield himself from all the webbing. "Nasty…" Hammerhead remarked as he tried charging at Peter again. "You kind of make a fool of yourself when you charge like that." Peter commented.

With an angry yell, Hammerhead came forward to which Peter responded by jumping and sticking to the side of the wall and landing a swift kick onto Hammerhead's face without hitting the vibranium part. While Peter did land a kick, Hammerhead managed to grab on and throw Peter down from the metal platform.

Peter landed with a thud as he felt some bones crack as soon as he hit the ground. "Ow, my back…" Peter said as he tried to lift himself up. Seeing Peter in this state gave Hammerhead an idea, running back to the control room, Hammerhead attempted to reach his tommy gun that he left behind.

Hammerhead made the sprint as fast as possible before Peter could recover. Grabbing the gun, Hammerhead cocked it and came out of the control room door to blast Peter dead. Peter's Spidey-sense alerted him to the danger to which he quickly dashed away as soon as bullets flew to his direction.

Swinging across to the side and moving himself underneath the metal platform as cover, Peter avoided the firing as he moved towards Hammerhead by running on the wall. Hammerhead stopped firing and waited for Spider-Man to show himself.

"Hey Blockhead! I'll take that away from you." Peter said as he flipped back onto the platform and webbed the tommy gun away from Hammerhead's hands. To make sure the weapon would not be used, Peter snapped the gun into two.

"That's an antique!" Hammerhead yelled. "Well you could have spent money doing fundraising, then maybe you won't be such a bad person, JoJo." Peter taunted. "Without me, Queens won't develop to its full potential. We can never build skyscrapers like Manhattan and the city will be filled to the brim with scum." Hammerhead said walking forward carefully.

"Funny… I think you caused everything that's been going on. You start up a gang war with one of your henchmen and then you invite a bunch of people over only to go to war with them. You've got a bad case of disloyalty for a guy who claims to be making the city better." Peter said.

"That's enough talking!" Hammerhead angrily yelled as he tried to tackle Peter down. Being as nimble as possible, Peter ducked and weaved the amount of punches and kicks Hammerhead threw at him in a narrow metal platform. "Man, you are nuts." Peter commented.

Suddenly, Hammerhead stepped on Peter's foot and grabbed his wrists to prevent any web shooting. "Gotcha!" Hammerhead said before attempting to knock Peter hard with his forehead. Peter quickly used his feet to stop the incoming head before flipping Hammerhead over from the metal platform.

Hammerhead took a hard hitting fall to the generator floor which in contrast to Peter was more serious. Despite being more human than Peter, Hammerhead still stood strong. His clothes were all dirty as well as torn from all the fighting. More importantly, Peter could faintly see the metal on his forehead.

Peter got up and watched Hammerhead attempt to lift himself up. "This is the part where you surrender." Peter said. "You think I'd wimp out right now?" Hammerhead said huffing in pain. "No, but for the greater good. I think you'd save yourself for the better." Peter replied without a nerve.

Hammerhead rushed forward in frustration as Peter took his time to take out the crime lord once and for all. As usual, Hammerhead was all about brute force and tried taking the webslinger down the hard way. To Peter's advantage, the space on the generator floor was wider which gave Peter a huge environment to interact with.

Peter's webs were of great use as he made an effort to stun Hammerhead and put him down. When it was done, Peter could deliver swift amount of blows to damage him. This routine worked for Peter so much that Hammerhead was getting both tired and weaker.

The final blow to Hammerhead involved Peter launching himself with two webs attached to the walls of the generators on each side. With one kick on the jawline, Peter kicked Hammerhead hard. After the kick, Peter thought Hammerhead still stood strong until he realised that a guy like him takes long to fall unconscious too.

Hammerhead gritted his teeth as he fell head down onto the ground. Peter heard the sound of the metal forehead hit the ground when the fell happened and stood behind Hammerhead like he was a samurai who had won the duel. "Thank god…" Peter said before webbing him up.

The next thing Peter wanted to check on was Chameleon. Racing back to the metal platform, Peter found the impersonator lying on the ground hurt. Upon examining his vitals, Peter was surprised that he was still breathing.

Opening up his eyes, Chameleon looked left and right before he saw Peter in front of him. Laughing softly, Chameleon began to speak. "Peter Parker…Just couldn't stay at home, could you?" Chameleon said before coughing, "I have to say…I'm grateful you spared me the quick death."

"I didn't come here to save you…" Peter said, "I came here to stop all of you at once." "Sounds like you want me dead…" Chameleon chuckled, "But killing is not your rule, of course." "Never in my lifetime will I do that…" Peter said. "Oh, but you have to make the hardest decisions sometimes, Parker. We were all born with this choice. Makes me wonder what happens if I go after more people like your Aunt May." Chameleon said cracking a smile.

"Don't you talk about her!" Peter angrily snapped, "Everything you did was selfish reasoning." "Can a person like me who's lost so much in life ever show compassion to others?" Chameleon asked, "Isn't that why I shared my story with you beforehand?"

Peter took a moment of silence to think about those words. "I've been nothing but a tool in my lifetime. Working for others but never for myself. I made the same mistake again but I had no choice. If only you were not in the picture." Chameleon said softly.

Due to being hit hard on the head by Hammerhead's forehead, blood dripped from Chameleon's mouth. "You can rest easy now, Parker. I'm about to pass on from this lifetime. But you can still save me…" Chameleon said, "If you can." Peter watched as Chameleon slump further on the floor.

"Even if he tried to hurt you multiple times, saving him will make the better difference.", Peter's mind thought. On the other hand, Peter's mind clashed with his other side. "He's hurt so many people just for his gain. This is his comeuppance."

Peter's mind soon tethered to not save Chameleon however upon examining the electrical rubber gloves on him, he was reminded of something by Uncle Ben. "Let go…" These words echoed in Peter's mind as he watched Chameleon succumb to his own wounds. At last, Chameleon stopped breathing and Peter was left to stare at the body.

* * *

 _2:45 am…_

Peter watched from afar on a tree as the prisoners were rounded up. At least two armoured police trucks have arrived to round up as many of Hammerhead's men as well as the Inner Demons. Jonas Harrow also joined the others while insisting that he was a victim in his involvement. "I barely held a gun, please excuse me…" Jonas said trying to defend himself.

The officers ignored these pleas and shoved him into the truck. Two officers walked alongside Hammerhead who was still in his torn clothes. With not only handcuffs on him, he was also fitted an electrical collar to prevent him from using his vibranium-laced forehead.

"An electrical collar? What am I? Some dog?" Hammerhead questioned as he escorted into the back of the truck. "Mr. Joseph Cavallaro, you are charged with multiple offences ranging from first-degree murder to illegal extortion of property. We have a cell waiting for you at the Raft." One officer said reading his document paper.

"The supermax prison?! This is blasphemy!" Hammerhead called out before the backdoor closed on him. As Peter watched the prison roundup, he noticed George standing afar watching the act take place as well. Peter jumped from his tree and landed close to George tapping him on the shoulder.

George quickly turned around before he was relieved to see Peter. "Well, you sure did heroes work in there." George commended. "Yeah, though it's not without its consequences." Peter replied noting Chameleon's death. George sighed, "We'll see what the news has to say first. I know you didn't kill him. Don't let any of the demises that happened get to you."

"You know… I think I'll go rest now. This has been excruciating." Peter said. "Yeah, I understand…" George replied before Peter took off. While swinging away, Peter stopped briefly to look at the electrical rubber gloves, "Thanks you, Uncle Ben. You've been real good help for all of this."

 **EPILOGUE**

 _7:45 am Parker residence…_

A few days later, Peter's life went back to normal schedule. He walked downstairs rubbing his eyes to meet Aunt May in the kitchen sipping her coffee and crunching on her toast. "Good morning, Aunt May…" Peter said. "Good morning to you, Peter." Aunt May replied back.

Peter opened up the fridge and began searching for the eggs. "I have some news I'd like to speak on, Peter." Aunt May said. After grabbing out the eggs and closing the fridge, Peter listened. "Yeah?" Peter answered.

"I'm unemployed now." May said. "What happened?" Peter questioned. "Martin made the decision to close down the F.E.A.S.T. organisation meaning that there is no place for me to work at now." May explained, "It was very odd and quite unfortunate."

"I have a letter by the way." May continued before going to the coffee table and retrieving a letter for Peter to read.

 _Dear Mrs. Parker,_

 _I regret to inform about my decision to close down the F.E.A.S.T. organisation here at Queens. Recent times have forced me to reconsider the budgeting. Even though the organisation is closing, the goal of F.E.A.S.T. should never go away. I am blessed by the people we help and the people who come here to lend a helping hand._

 _As someone who founded the organisation, I am inspired by your kind service to help others and it will always leave an impression for me. For the future, I am more than happy to be a reference for you in case you are searching for a new career. Please stay strong for your own sake and I wish you the best._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Martin Li_

"Hey, at least you have a reference. Come on, people will definitely welcome you into new jobs." Peter said hoping to inspire some optimism. "And you?" May asked. Peter said nothing before he gave an answer, "I'll get it."

"Graduation day is coming up soon, Peter. Are you ready?" May said as she went to sit down near the table. "Yeah, it's gonna be amazing." Peter said as he cracked an egg and put the contents into a frying pan with oil. "More importantly, are you ready for that Gwendolyn?" May asked.

"Don't worry, I got this." Peter said reassuring his aunt as he watched his egg sizzle. "Oh by the way, Peter…" May said. "Yeah?" Peter said concentrating on his egg. "I noticed some funny things in the garage the other night. Ben's old gloves are missing." May said.

"Oh, don't worry I needed them for sure. I wanted to test a science theory from my physics textbook." Peter said knowing he messed around in the garage making the tensile strong webs as well borrowing the gloves.

"Well, I guess you better for the exams, Peter." May said, "You might want to check on the eggs by the way." Peter turned around surprised that his eggs were starting to burn up quick and started to panic, "Oh sh-"

* * *

 _8:13 am Leeds residence…_

After breakfast, Peter made his way to his friend's house to check if he was doing okay. "Maybe not a good idea." Peter thought as he stepped in front of the doorway. As Peter rang the doorbell, he noticed the family cat, King watching him from the distance.

A few seconds later, the door opened and Peter was greeted by Ned. "Hey dude, what's up?" Ned asked holding the door. "To be honest, not much. I'm not even sure if I should be here." Peter answered. "What are you talking about? Come on in." Ned insisted.

"Oh really?" Peter asked. "Yeah, it's fine…" Ned said. Peter then walked into the house with Ned and explored the inside. The house may be old but Peter felt a friendly presence walking in it. "I'm sorry if the place smells funny." Ned apologised. "Nah, Aunt May's old house was definitely something like this." Peter replied.

As they walked to the kitchen, Peter saw two people sitting at the table. There was bald woman who Peter knew was Ned's mother and Ned's little sister, Mandy whom he had met before playing around with a bowl of cereal. "Hey, mum. This is my friend, Peter Parker." Ned said.

"Ah, the nice schoolboy you told me about." Ned's mother croaked. "Mrs. Leeds…" Peter said addressing her. "Have you had your breakfast yet, young man?" Ned's mother asked. "Oh no, I actually did have my breakfast." Peter replied.

"Uh, mum… Peter and I want to discuss some things privately. I hope you don't mind." Ned said. "Have you washed your dishes yet?" Ned's mother asked. "Yes, mum. My plates are all shiny." Ned answered. "Then go ahead, honey." Ned's mother replied.

"Nice meeting you, Mrs. Leeds. And to you as well, Ned's sister." Peter said. "Bye…" Mandy said waving her hand at Peter before he was escorted out. After the brief chat, Ned and Peter walked up to the basement door outside where they set up the hideout.

"So…Um, Peter. Let me ask… Do you want that old homemade suit back?" Ned said as he picked up King who happened to stroll by. "I'm...Good with the suit I have. Besides, keep that suit safe here." Peter said, "I kind of wanted to talk about something else though."

"Go ahead…" Ned encouraged. "I'm just wondering if you think the Spider-Man stuff is a burden to you as of late." Peter said staring blankly at the basement door. "What? No.. I mean…" Ned stammered, "Why are you asking this?"

"Well first of all… The good news is that all the bad stuff with Hammerhead, Chameleon… It's all over." Peter said, "Now, because of all the people in my life… You, Aunt May, Phillip… Gwen. I have to worry about all of you at once. Come to think of it, does the stuff with your mum interfere?"

"No way…" Ned said dropping King down, "I mean… My mum taught me how to look after her and I eventually learnt how to cope with it. If one of these days she goes… Then I'm the one man only to look everything. Me, my cat and my little sister."

"Hey, I'm here for you. I can help you like anytime." Peter said putting on a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'd say we're both pretty fragile. You're lucky Aunt May is still with you." Ned said while being afraid that he offended Peter. "I get it…I guess that's the problem with Spider-Man." Peter responded.

"Peter, Spider-Man is a huge reason on why I want to keep on going. It's why I want to stay hopeful for the rest of my life and not let everything weigh me down." Ned said. Peter's eyes lit up before asking, "Are you saying…"

"I'm saying that I believe in your crusade. Your responsibilities. They help me through a lot." Ned said. Peter nodded, "I'm so glad to hear that." "Hey, it's not just Spider-Man alright? You also helped me against people like Flash." Ned said feeling a little more optimistic.

"Don't worry…Even my mum tells me that." Ned said smiling. "Well, I don't know what emotion I'm gonna run on, Ned." Peter said trying to hold a tear back. "I know… Since graduation is coming up. I wonder how are things going for you?" Ned asked.

"Oh that… Yeah, I'm gonna sort all that up." Peter said. "Now I need to know who I'm gonna get as a dance partner?" Ned wondered, "I'm kind of worried with Flash though." "Hey I got your back…" Peter said starting to laugh. "Back me up then… By the way, heard he's a fan of Spider-Man too ironically." Ned said.

The two friends then laughed together ready to embrace the future in both their civilian lives as well as with Spider-Man.

* * *

 _9:05 am Chang residence…_

Later, Peter went to check on Phillip at his house. To Peter's surprise, he saw Phillip dragging some suitcases out to a car in the front yard. "Peter?" Phillip said dropping his suitcases to greet him. "I don't recall you telling me that you're going on a trip or something." Peter said.

"Oh no…Well, I am leaving New York. I'm actually… Moving away to another state for my tertiary studies." Phillip explained. "What? What happened with Empire State University? Whereabouts are you heading to?" Peter asked.

"MIT…Cambridge." Phillip answered. "What? That's insane…" Peter said in disbelief. "Yep, turns out I have the smarts to go there." Phillip said, "By the way, I heard that you finally taken Hammerhead out and such." "Yeah, it happened." Peter said reflecting back, "I wonder how my actions are perceived."

"Well, I've got this to show you…" Phillip said showing a blog post on his phone.

WAKE UP, SPIDER-MAN IS A PROBLEM

BY J. JONAH JAMESON

 _As one of Americas and all of New York's biggest voices, I am bringing you the biggest topic that my Jonah sense needs to talk about. For those of you who have been to Queens or live there, I'm sure you're all aware of a red and blue menace that swings around the neighbourhood known as Spider-Man._

 _This "man" for around three years has been terrorising his local neighbourhood claiming to be a superhero. Everyone believes they're doing good, including the ones who are absolute psychos! And now we must reignite the debate of vigilantism all over again._

 _Now surprisingly, I want to address some positives. Joseph Cavallaro (aka Hammerhead) has finally been arrested. First and foremost, the Bugle will retract the time he provided a quote to us. The Daily Bugle is a clean industry! So long to one of New York's infamous Maggia dons._

 _Dmitri Smerdyakov, Mister Chameleon himself has been confirmed deceased. Although because the guy knows how to put on a good disguise, who knows if he's playing dead? Rest assured, my condolences to the families who have lost people to this monster. Actually, the true monster I believe was Hammerhead himself, the guy started up a gang war in Queens for crying out loud._

 _And for that, Spider-Man. You deserve some credit for bringing some tough cookies down, now onto the rest. This menace is nothing short of a reckless young person who is acting out a child's fantasy. Boom. Boom. Crash. Crash. I understand if you're looking up to people like Captain America or the Fantastic Four, but for god sakes!_

 _You see, there's a lot of makings that go into the best superheroes. Now here's where I stand with this, I started a magazine company in the beginning addressing things like the latest shopping discounts, the latest fashion trends or any other stuff to make life wholesome. Then vigilantism/super heroics started climbing up the hill._

 _At first, I was baffled when everybody got disinterested in the NOW! Magazine but then I realised this is the new life trend. We want these role models to look up to and we're getting them at exponential rates. But I want people to be smart and recognise what's good for them. So as an upstanding citizen myself, take a note at what I have to say._

 _Spider-Man is a problem. From what I heard, he's cheerful and absolutely nothing short of risking the lives of many people by swinging around and spitting webs. Not just that, when he does the rescuing, stopping the bad guys or anything…He likes to do property damage!_

 _Which let me ask my fellow New Yorkers, how does this affect your work? Let's take a look at economics. In the recent days, tourism and immigration into New York has gone down the drain after what happened at JFK airport. And it's here, that Spider-Man amassed his rogues gallery. Encouraging his foes to take up some suits and be more lethal in what they do._

 _Don't believe me? Tell me if you haven't met the Shocker before. That's right, this yellow costumed foe spawned right out into existence thanks to the actions of the person he's fighting. Don't forget the Kangaroo or Cyclone._

 _But Jonah, some of these guys existed long before Spider-Man was a thing. Oh you mean people like the Beetle? This guy has amplified his criminal ways and adapts to his enemies making them more dangerous than ever. So Spider-Man being an inspiration to all would mean he's an inspiration to his foes._

 _On the other hand, Oscorp and Roxxon have taken some pretty big hits thanks to this menace. Oscorp is gonna spend so long doing PR control after Spider-Man and his nemesis crew have been stealing and crafting gear based on their own original research. And just like that, Spider-Man is technically a thief._

 _As for Roxxon, who are a controversial group throughout history, let's take a look on how the people who work there feel. As many of you probably know, Spider-Man ended the gang war conflict by cutting off the power at one of their power plants. And think how not just the people working there have lost their jobs but also the upstanding New Yorkers who need the precious electricity in their lives. But at least, we know exposed an illegal power source at the power plant, right? Wrong!_

 _So to all you people out there, think before you make 'memes' of him or use him for merchandising purposes. This is a problem, wake up. If we continuously praise him like an upstanding citizen who saves the day then one of these days, he could possibly turn into our worst enemy. Till then, remember to subscribe to this blog as well as read the Bugle._

"Sounds like a big unfocused rant." Peter commented, "Why does Jameson even care about me?" "Never met the guy, but you're a hot topic now." Phillip answered, "Also don't take this guy's words seriously. Believe me, a lot of people have genuine reasons for looking up to you."

"What about the people who are affected by loss?" Peter asked concerned. "I can only hope they understand that you were only trying to do the right thing." Phillip said, "I can't speak for people who might resent you."

Phillip's dad then honked the horn on the car telling him to hurry up. "One minute!" Phillip shouted back before he continued talking. "Oh yeah, this also means that Spider tech support won't be the same as before." Phillip said, "You're gonna have to figure stuff on your own now."

"I can get behind the work. You just send me the specs." Peter replied. "Yeah, you better get that laptop of yours first." Phillip said picking up his suitcases, "See you around, Peter." "Wait, aren't you coming to graduation?" Peter questioned.

Phillip looked back and smiled, "Nah, I've got other ways to celebrate the end of school. Take care of yourself." Peter watched as Phillip got into the back of the car before watching him drive away to his own future ahead of him.

* * *

 _9:35 am The Raft…_

Hammerhead fumed about in his cell sporting an orange prison suit. The electrical collar was still wrapped around his neck as he pounded the transparent cell door with his bare hands. The guards around his cell watched as he muttered curses beneath his breath.

Even his vibranium forehead served no purpose in escape as the prison door reflected the blow through some form of energy force-field. "We have a visitor for Mr. Joseph Cavallaro." A guard said walking into the area.

Hammerhead then turned his attention to the person approaching him. From the shadows, it was none of other than Martin Li himself. "Please let me talk to him privately." Martin said looking at the guards at both sides.

The guards did as they were told which surprised Hammerhead. "I've been practicing my powers as of late." Martin said, "I would have been much happier to see you not locked up in this cell." "You mean free?" Hammerhead questioned.

"I mean dead. You and your Maggia filth deserve to brought to unmeasurable levels of pain." Martin stated. Hammerhead laughed before speaking, "Take it up with him. I have nothing to do with the freak you are today." "I will. But seeing you trapped behind this wall is the first step to victory…" Martin replied.

"Please…Spider guy aided you, didn't he?" Hammerhead questioned. "Your incompetence as a leader paved way for that victory. Manipulating your former and weakened assassin you waged petty war on was key into taking you and the Maggia out." Martin said.

"You do realise the Maggia is more than just people in suits?" Hammerhead asked raising an eyebrow. Martin responded by touching the prison door and conducted waves of negative energy into Hammerhead's cell. Hammerhead yelped in pain before kneeling down once the negative energy disappeared.

"I have some business to attend to." Martin spoke before walking away, "See you in hell." As Martin walked away, Hammerhead slammed his fists on the floor in fear that everything will be taken away from him.

* * *

 _10:05 am Stacy's Private Investigations…_

In his Spider-Man costume, Peter visited a new venue he heard of based on George Stacy's resignation from the NYPD. Stopping by on the street, Peter saw George standing on the footpath attempting to light up a cigarette. Landing onto a street lamp, Peter began conversing.

"Smoking? Really?" Peter asked. "I'm not an active smoker but I need to refresh my mind a little." George said putting away the cigarette pack. "There's always fresh air, Mr. Stacy." Peter replied before looking at the recently renovated building in front of him.

"So, you quit the police department for some small shop?" Peter questioned. "It's a private investigation firm that I'm putting my soul into." George explained, "I want to do a job that I can work on my own pace with. That's not to say I hate the NYPD though." "Cool, anything special?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, unless someone needs my help. I've got all the time to worry about my family more and I've got to thank both my brother at London as well as you for helping me to settle on this." George stated. "Your brother?" Peter asked again. "That's right. My brother from London takes the same job I'm about to do." George said, "We really kept Queens safe, you know?"

"I know. Apart from Jameson, I heard people are calling me stuff like amazing or spectacular. Flattering, but it's really nothing." Peter stated. "Please… Don't let those people get to you. I think you deserve those titles regardless if you think you're worthy or not. " George assured, "Oh, I have something for you."

George then pulled out a stapled hand drawn comic book for Peter. "My son completed this and said he wanted to give this to you." George said. Peter grabbed the comic and flipped through the pages. "Wow…Can we print these out in high definition?" Peter asked. George laughed before taking out his phone.

"Today, my daughter is graduating from high school. I need to check on her." George said dialling the phone. "Okay, I'll guess I'll go elsewhere." Peter said. "You take care of yourself, Spider-Man." George said listening in on his phone.

* * *

 _10:40 am Stacy residence…_

Even though he had met the family, Peter felt nervous approaching the doorway and it was technically the first time he had ever been to the house. Knocking on the door, Peter was greeted by Simon Stacy. "Oh, look who it is…" Simon said, "Hey Gwen! Your boyfriend's at the door."

Peter heard the sounds of music playing as he stepped into the house, more importantly it sounded like drums were being played. "She's down at the basement by the way." Simon said before going away to do his thing.

Peter opened up the door to the downstairs and followed the beats of the drums while rock music played. As he tiptoed down the stairs and was surprised to see Gwen jamming on a drum base kit with headphones on. When Peter moved down further, Gwen was alerted.

"Oh hello there, Peter. Sorry I was just…" Gwen said putting away the drum kit as well as turning off the music. "I am literally stunned at what I just saw." Peter answered. "Yeah, I don't think I told you about playing the drums before, didn't I?" Gwen replied, "Why are you here?"

"Uh…To see if…" Peter stammered. "To see if I'm ready for graduation? My dad was just asking me about that. I'm all set for that." Gwen said. "Okay…Um, now I feel a little awkward. I think I should go." Peter said about to leave.

Gwen then grabbed Peter's hand, "Come on, don't you want to chat for a while. I could share my music backstory." Peter then accepted and listened. "You know… Back then, MJ and I both love music. She had a pretty great voice while I was a fan of certain bands which led me to playing those drums." Gwen explained.

"Oh, I heard her sing before." Peter stated. "Yeah, anyway. We actually wanted to start a music group together. She wanted our group to be called the 'Em Jays'." Gwen said. "Wow. Really?" Peter asked puzzled. "Yeah, it was her idea. But I'm kind of sad we never grew the band even further." Gwen said in a sad tone.

"Were there other people in the band as well?" Peter wondered. "Oh sure, we considered some candidates. Like Cindy Moon or Sally Avril to people like Jessica Jones." Gwen said. "Man, I'm wondering about the soundtrack now." Peter said.

Gwen then saw Peter look as if he misses Mary Jane. "Hey…" Gwen said placing a hand on Peter to confront him. Peter looked up and stared at Gwen in the eye. "Peter, I know she meant a lot to you as she did to me. Do you think…We can move on?" Gwen asked.

"You mean forget about her?" Peter wondered. "No… I mean…" Gwen tried to speak out until Peter realised what she meant. "I think I know what you mean…" Peter stated. At it was at that moment, Gwen summoned the courage to put her lips onto Peter's. Peter felt comforted and relaxed feeling like he was entering a new stage of happiness. Once Gwen let go, Peter licked his lips tasting the fruity flavour, "Sweet." "Guess we're good for graduation then…" Gwen stated.

* * *

 _4:30 pm Parker residence…_

Coming back home after a day going around town as well as swinging around Spider-Man, Peter was prepared to dress up and go to Midtown High. Just as he got back inside his house, he saw a strange and funny old postman putting in two letters into the mailbox.

The postman turned around to see Peter and greeted him. "Ah, you're Mr. Parker are you?" The postman asked. "Uh…Yeah." Peter replied. "These letters are you, young man." The postman said grabbing the letters out of the mailbox and giving them to Peter.

"Have a good one. And remember: excelsior!" The postman said before walking away. "Excelsior? What?" Peter wondered before opening up the letters. Peter then opened up the first letter to see what was in it.

 _Congratulations on your graduation. -Signed Osborn_

"I wonder which Osborn it is though." Peter thought before moving onto the second letter. The second letter made Peter's heart light up a little.

 _Dear Peter,_

 _How have you been? I hope you've been doing well back at New York. I know that you're moving on from high school to college or university. It must be exciting. I wish I was there though._

 _I've been all over the world as of late modelling and stuff. It's exciting but both exhausting. I don't mind though, I'm pretty happy. You should really see the places I went to. Anyway, whatever is happening in your life right now. I hope you're happy as I am._

 _In fact, why don't we try connecting with each other on social media? There's a lot we can go over._

 _I miss you,_

 _MJ_

"Someday then, MJ. We'll talk soon." Peter sighed before finding a photo of her attached on the letter looking dazzling as ever in her white dress and hat on the grasslands. She was still as beautiful as ever.

* * *

 _6:00 pm Midtown High School…_

Aunt May drove both Peter and Ned to the high school where a number of students were lined up in front of the school entrance. "Okay, thanks Aunt May." Peter said kissing her goodbye. "Bye, Aunt May." Ned said as he followed Peter out of the car.

"Take care, you two. Don't drink too much." May stated before she drove off. Peter and Ned were dressed up nicely together as they walked to the school entrance. "Well, if it isn't Parker and his fat little Hobbit sidekick." Flash said taking notice at the two.

"Just ignore him…" Peter said to Ned as they went to the school entrance. "Aw, come on. Why are you guys ignoring me?" Flash asked. "Cause you're clearly trying hard to be like Spider-Man, right Flash?" Ned asked.

"What's wrong with that? Of course, looking up to him is no big deal." Flash said rolling his eyes, "By the way, have fun time tonight, you dickwads." As the two of them made it inside the hallway, they were greeted by faces like Principal Harrington as well as Mr. Warren.

"Okay, I'm gonna see if I can find Gwen." Peter said. "Yeah, and I'll go finding if anyone wants to dance with me." Ned stated. "Don't get kicked in the balls for anything, dude." Peter said patting Ned on the back before searching for Gwen.

Going through the crowd of students, Peter found Gwen chatting with her friend Cindy. "Oh, here he is." Cindy said before walking away. Peter was impressed by the red dress Gwen picked out. "I like your hair, your dress and eh…" Peter stated. "Likewise." Gwen nodded before taking Peter's hand.

"So how are you holding up now?" Peter asked. "Just like I said back at home…" Gwen said. Peter's phone then buzzed which prompted Peter to find out why. There was a message tipped by an anonymous caller saying, 'Shocker is back. Trouble at Kew Gardens.'

"Um… Could you let me go for a second?" Peter asked. "What?" Gwen asked back. "It's really urgent." Peter said excusing himself and running away leaving Gwen puzzled.

* * *

 _6:45 pm Kew Gardens Queens Community Bank…_

Shocker was back on the streets after being released on parole. Out of all the criminals locked away, the sentence for Herman was short. Walking out of the bank, Shocker carried two bags of cash and was prepared to go away. The bank employees cowered in fear as they let him walk past.

Jumping onto a lamppost as Spider-Man, Peter greeted his yellow costume wearing nemesis. "Herman, back to business as usual. Who are you working for this time?" Peter asked. "Ugh, go away…" Shocker grumbled dropping the two bags.

"Come on, Herman. Surely there's a good reason why you are stealing again." Peter said. "It's for myself. I'm never working for anybody again but myself. I need the money, now go away." Shocker replied. "Ah, but you do realise that's one way to go back to a cell right?" Peter asked.

Shocker was agitated despite the mask covering his face. "I see you've copied my eye lens. Was that intentional?" Peter asked. "No, it's better this way!" Shocker stated before deciding to launch an air blast at Peter.

Peter slid down the lamppost as it was knocked down on the ground. "You know, I think you really helped me out in my life." Peter cheerfully said. "What are you talking about?" Shocker asked. "Ah, you know. Like the fact, I made this suit thanks to you and…I also learnt that bad guys in teams usually don't go well because they're just bad…" Peter stated.

Shocker had enough and started blasting Peter once more to which Peter dodged. "You're a good boy, Herman. Surrender now and I promise your jail sentence will be half the number of the days the police will charge you." Peter demanded.

"I don't trust you. As soon as I'm done, I'm leaving town." Shocker said. "But it is me, Herman. The old me not the negative me." Peter said before engaging Shocker in battle. "I guess this is the great responsibility of being Spider-Man." Peter thought as an incoming air blast was fired.

THE END…

 **Note: Congratulations on reaching the end of the story. It's been a tough but rewarding journey for me to complete it. Of course, this is not the end of the saga as I do have some plans on what I want to do next. Feel free to ask me anything and stay awesome.**


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